Nothing to Celebrate
On December 10, 2014, the world celebrates International Human Rights Day. But for the families of the disappeared in the Philippines, there is very little to celebrate. Hundreds of victims of enforced disappearance from previous regimes remain disappeared. Perpetrators have yet to be brought to justice. And now, under the current Aquino regime, the atrocity that is enforced disappearance still persists with no end in sight.
Small Steps
The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) acknowledges that human rights violations have dropped under the current government. According to data from the Families of Victims of Enforced Disappearance (FIND), there have been 25 documented cases so far, a significant drop from previous administrations. But AFAD’s Secretary-General Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso asserts that “It doesn’t matter if the number has dropped. The fact remains that the desaparecidos are still desaparecidos, and those who are responsible are still enjoying impunity! Remember, one disappearance is one too many!”
Good Law, Poor Implementation
Although the country has already enacted an Anti-Enforced Disappearance Law (RA 10353), no conviction has been fully served. For justice to prevail, victims of the disappeared must be given all options for redress. “This is why we need to sign and ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CAED),” said Bacalso. “We already have a law that is based largely on the Convention. There is no reason for the president not to sign and ratify it, especially when hundreds of families continue to suffer the loss of their loved ones,” Bacalso added.
End the List, Sign and Ratify Now!
On President Aquino’s 98th day in office, he agreed to meet with AFAD and FIND. At that meeting, he made a promise to study the Convention. It has been four years since that meeting and yet there has been no action on the part of the administration. Today, the human rights community in the Philippines has varying opinions on the performance of President Benigno S. Aquino III. Likewise, AFAD is deeply disappointed with the president’s inaction.
AFAD stands in solidarity with the country’s human rights defenders. Together with its partners in the Philippines, its member organizations across Asia, and its network in the rest of the world, AFAD calls on President Benigno S. Aquino III to:
- End the list! Sign and ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance immediately!
- End impunity! Fully implement the Anti-Enforced Disappearance Law and bring all perpetrators to justice!
Justice for all desaparecidos!
Signed,
Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso
Secretary-General