Human rights group intensified calls for justice; highlights calls for livelihood and employment

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Human rights group intensified calls for justice; highlights calls for livelihood and employment

On its 4th anniversary, the Women Workers in Struggle for Employment, Empowerment and Emancipation or Women WISE3 intensified calls for justice following Malacanang's claim of improving human rights situation.

In reaction to a Malacanang statement in Aug 30 saying that there are no cases of enforced disappearances under the Aquino government, Dylin Lauron, Women WISE3 coordinator said, "The Aquino government should stop denying that human rights violations like enforced disappearances continue to happen. Truth be told, the number of violations in the first two years Aquino are way more than the first two years of its predecessor."

Various human rights group have documented more than 70 cases of extra-judicial killings beginning July 2010 while there are 11 cases enforced disappearances according to Karapatan. Various labor rights violations, as documented by the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights, have victimized at least 10,000 workers in the last two years.

"Just like how it hides the real poverty situation by changing the [poverty] threshold, the Aquino government wants the people to believe that the human rights condition in the country is improving by sheer denial of facts. This is very alarming. What action can we expect from a government that denies the real situation?" Lauron pointed out.

Lauron also challenged Malacanang to expedite the resolution of human rights violations committed by the Arroyo government. "If Aquino is serious about making the past administration accountable to the people, he must also prosecute Arroyo for her grave human rights records."

Lauron added that Aquino's counterinsurgency program, Oplan Bayanihan, must be stopped to end the spate of human rights violations.

Meanwhile, Women WISE3 also highlighted calls for livelihood and employment for families of victims of human rights violations especially whose breadwinners were killed, disappeared, or displaced from their work, amid natural disasters and floods.

"Most families of victims of human rights and labor rights violations are left impoverished because oftentimes, they lose the family breadwinner or worker-victims find it more difficult to land on regular jobs. Their economic condition is aggravated by the natural disasters and floods which we experience more often nowadays due to global warming."

"To wholly address these concerns, livelihood programs and better employment opportunities must also be extended to families of victims of human rights violations," Lauron explained.