This project is entitled “Building a Web of Safety and Care for Women Human Rights Defenders”.

At the end of the project, the rightsholders group under this project are receiving relevant and appropriate support services to address their distress. The support services are in the form of legal representation, medical support, psychosocial support, social and well-being support. Forty-one women human rights defenders who are experiencing constant threats to their life and liberty are the rightsholders group of this project. They are from Region 1 and Region 2 in Northern Luzon. Particularly from the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union.

KADUAMI’s strategic, comprehensive, and integrated protection and support system for the rights holders group will be in four integrative domains of intervention framed as HELPS which means: H- health and well-being, E- economic support, LP- legal and political support, and S- socio-cultural support. Through this approach, new linkages to professional service providers are established to aid the RHGs to regain their confidence, their strengths and ability to perform their roles and responsibilities in the areas of work they individually do.

Building a Web of Safety and Care for Women Human Rights Defenders 

From 2019-2023, KADUAMI monitored at least 149 incidents of human rights violations in Northern Luzon. Red-tagging and online vilification of activists proliferated during the pandemic. Red-tagging incidents usually end-up in two things- trumped-up charges and/or extra-judicial killing.  

In Cagayan Valley Region, twenty-three (23) Human Rights Violation (HRV) victims are currently detained and forty-eight (48) individuals are facing trumped-up charges. A woman leader from Isabela province recounted that her name appeared seven- hundred (700) times in different posters in different areas. A woman leader from the same province was visited at her home by military agents twenty-five (25) times. Furthermore, a woman leader from Cagayan province reported that she was interrogated for a whole month by military agents at her own home.  Meanwhile in Ilocos Region, women leading social services especially during the pandemic are under serious surveillance. The community beneficiaries of the relief operations were targeted and being presented as “rebel returnees”. In some cases, state agents also coerce people to sign a document called “Oath of Allegiance” to the Philippine government.  

As a result, women leaders’ right to life and liberty is threatened. Their situation has also caused distress among their families especially their children. Unfortunately, some individuals were diagnosed with mental health conditions.  

With this reality, KADUAMI worked with VOICE Philippines, to provide relevant and appropriate support services to forty-one (41) women and LGBTQI+ RHGs. The support services are in the form of legal assistance, capacity building, medical, psychosocial and well-being support, and social support (campaign).  

During the project, KADUAMI established a partnership with CHESTCORE, a health organization that provides psychosocial support specifically for human rights defenders (HRDs). Together with them, we were able to develop a module on Wellbeing and Human Rights Work. And using the module as guide, KADUAMI with CHESTCORE conducted four (4) psychosocial processing and Mental Health Orientation with RHGs and their families. Two (2) clusters of art therapy were also held. CHESTCORE also handled the referral of two (2) RHGs who needed professional and individual counseling.  

Furthermore, at least four (4) women were provided medical assistance, eights (8) cases involving different individuals received financial assistance to file complaints to Commission on Human Rights (CHR), file writ of amparo (protection mechanism by state) to Court of Appeals, file complaints against state agents at the office of the Ombudsman, and pay minimal appearance fee and logistics reimbursement for lawyers handling the trumped-up charges filed against RHGs.  Three (3) individuals who were in imminent danger were provided with sanctuary fund to ensure their safety. Due to unforeseen events, KADUAMI provided a mortuary assistance to a detained RHG who suddenly passed away last November 2023.  

On the other hand, two (2) trainings on Human Rights have also been provided. Commission on Human Rights (CHR) facilitated one of the trainings in Ilocos Region.  

For the campaign activities, KADUAMI attended court hearings of detained RHGs with their family members who are also rightsholders of this project. KADUAMI also facilitated a trial observation by German Embassy in Cagayan province. Public speaking engagements were facilitated for RHGs to share their situation to a larger audience. Video stories about the life of the RHGs will be produced.  

This was a challenging project to implement and facilitate. The threat and harassment continue. In one of our activities, all participants were threatened when our venue was trespassed by three (3) state agents. KADUAMI and KARAPATAN CAGAYAN VALLEY staff were under intense surveillance last August-September 2023 in Baguio City causing immense stress and fear. Unresponsive and slow justice system also made this project very frustrating. One of the detained RHGs passed away. 31 out of 36 trumped-up charges against her were all dismissed. Request for her release for humanitarian reasons fell to deaf ears. When she got sick, request for her hospitalization was also denied until she passed out. KADUAMI was hoping for a Dismissal Order from Court NOT a request letter for mortuary assistance.   

Despite the challenges, numerous victories were gained. A RHG was connected to the German Embassy here in the Philippines and the said institution agreed to do a trial observation regarding the case of her husband on March 2024. This effort was to shed light on the real situation of human rights defenders in the Philippines and to add pressure to the government to act on such cases. Last April 2024, the husband of the RHG walked free. Representatives from Canadian Embassy have also given their commitment to do trial observation for other detained women RHGs in Cagayan province. Also, while there is fear among lawyers to handle cases of activists who are victims of red-tagging, a law firm in Cagayan agreed to handle cases of detained RHGs with very minimal fee due to consistent organizing efforts of local partners in the said area. With the RHG’s well-being, two (2) RHGs who were affected with mental health issues, exacerbated by the harassment, are now in medication. They were properly diagnosed by a professional and have a collective group to monitor them. With the complaints filed, one (1) RHG based in Isabela filed a case against a state agent at the Ombudsman office. Personnel from the provincial government in Tuguegarao, Cagayan have started to investigate on this. In the Ilocos Region, the regional office of CHR have given their commitment to assist the RHGs to seek any assistance from different government agencies due to loss of income when they were under surveillance and to facilitate a community dialogue with the RHGs. Different church leaders in Ilocos Region also signed the Manifesto of Unity forged by the RHGs and have given their commitment in ensuring care and safety for the RHGs within their church jurisdictions.  

As the support from VOICE ends, the work goes on. In the near future, KADUAMI with CHESTCORE and CWEARC (partners in Cordillera region with better experiences in organizing) plans to organize a mental health forum/dialogue and to eventually establish a Northern Luzon Mental Health Support System to support marginalized sectors. To do this, KADUAMI and its partners is planning to forge partnerships with more health and legal service providers. Specifically, the target are the active lawyers and health workers during the “Pink Wave Movement” during the last elections. Furthermore, KADUAMI staff and RHGs will continue to build networks with other stakeholders and to continue their capacity building. KADUAMI will also formalize partnerships with organizations based in Mexico who have been providing care for human rights defenders in Latin America. Moreover, a concept note is also submitted to European Union regarding a project called “Human Rights Cities”. This is to replicate the experience of Baguio City in different cities in Northern Luzon. “Human Rights Cities” project requires a certain city to have an ordinance banning red-tagging and to ensure safety for human rights defenders.