Benigno worked in a junk shop in another district of Manila and was the family breadwinner. Driving the jeepney had been his main source of income. Hameds wife was not there because she was working in Saudi Arabia as a domestic worker at the time. [82] Kyle R. was 5 years old when his father, Alvin R., a 39-year-old driver, turned up dead in November 2016. This bullying and stigmatization has had severe impacts on families, Father Sandaga said. [84] Human Rights Watch interview with Julieta R., Quezon City, February 4, 2019. We dont have anyone to call father now.
[110] Human Rights Watch interview with Ambrosia M., Quezon City, February 4, 2019. These people are often the most marginalized members of our society and the drug war violence has marginalized them even more, said Father Danilo Pilario, dean of the School of Theology at Saint Vincents College in Quezon City, who also runs the Project Support for Orphans and Widows (Project SOW) that provides assistance to victims of the violence. [94] Human Rights Watch interview with Josefa F., Quezon City, February 4, 2019. Gather information and data about the children and families affected by the anti-drug campaign, ensuring confidentiality and protection against retaliation. In this speech, Duterte addressed law enforcers: If they put up a good fight and they dont have a gun, give them a gun.. Form and provide resources for a multi-agency initiative (government, civil society, academe, faith-based organizations, and NGOs) to develop, plan, and implement programs for assistance specifically to children of drug war victims. [47] Sean Williams, How the Catholic Church is fighting the drug war in the Philippines, America Magazine, January 25, 2018, https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2018/01/25/how-catholic-church-fighting-drug-war-philippines (accessed May 2, 2020). As Karla and Robert walked around Mandaluyong that day looking for their brother John, chatting up friends and acquaintances, high-fiving jeepney drivers and street vendors, it was clear they seemed comfortable living in the bustle of the city. Every child has the right to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the childs education, or to be harmful to the childs health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral, or social development (art. There, they hang hammocks between delivery vans, taking naps, waiting for their friends who also live in the streets, and spending hours just chatting, gossiping with delivery drivers, and horsing around. Robert A., Renatos eldest child, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, recalled the night his father was killed as he attended the wake of an aunt who had been shot three days earlier: Robert said his younger brother John A., who was 13 at the time, witnessed the shooting and was wounded in the leg. Publicly and privately urge the government ensure support for adversely affected children and families, such as through disbursement of conditional cash transfers. Promptly and fairly compensate the families of victims of unlawful killings by government officials and their agents. He misses his father a lot and he takes it out on me, she said. His father, Ben S., said one of the men shot him twice. [137] Clergy and childrens rights advocates with whom Human Rights Watch spoke to said that these families have been severely stigmatized and often live in fear, so that they cannot be expected to seek support from the very entity that they feel is responsible for their plight. He started behaving extremely aggressively and using foul words. Alvins death affected Zenys ability to hold her family together. [108], The five young children of Antonio S., a 45-year-old small business owner in Bagong Silang, an impoverished community in Quezon City, have suffered from psychological distress and extreme poverty since his killing by the police in August 2017, with the children often skipping meals. One time, she said, he threatened to kill a friend and wrap him with packaging tape. No. Other children have had to leave the family to go live with relatives who could take better care of them. [77] Collateral Damage: The Children of Dutertes War on Drugs, Human Rights Watch photo and video commentary, June 27, 2019, https://www.hrw.org/video-photos/interactive/2019/06/27/collateral-damage-children-dutertes-war-drugs (accessed May 2, 2020). The loss of a parent who is the main breadwinner can plunge an already impoverished family into even more extreme poverty. Take immediate measures to ensure that no child is ever denied their right to education, including secondary education, due to school fees or related costs of education. After a TV station interviewed Jennifer, exposing her identity in the process, classmates began bullying her in school, ridiculing her for her fathers alleged drug use, which she denied. [16] 3 cops found guilty of murder over Kian Delos Santos slay, ABS-CBN News, November 29, 2018, https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/29/18/3-cops-found-guilty-of-murder-over-kian-delos-santos-slay (accessed May 2, 2020). One of her siblings caught her, breaking her fall onto the dirty concrete floor. Urge relevant government agencies, such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Education, to enforce existing laws and policies for the protection of children. Families have been wary about approaching the government for help because they consider the police and other government officials to be responsible for the loss they have suffered. Human Rights Watch spent time with Renatos children and their friends and cousins one day in February 2019. Provide technical and financial support for assistance programs designed to support adversely affected children. [46] Adam Willis, The Catholic rebels resisting the Philippines deadly war on drugs, The Guardian, July 28, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/18/philippines-rodrigo-duterte-war-on-drugs-catholic-church (accessed May 2, 2020). Human Rights Watch believes governments should ensure respect for human rights in their policies and practices on the use, possession, production, and distribution of drugs. Thats when I saw the gun beside his hand, Jennifer said. One of her siblings caught her, breaking her fall onto the dirty concrete floor. These fatalities total 20,322. How else to talk about it? To support his siblings, Robert tried to work as a garbage collector but found the job too taxing on his health. [7] In the early stages of the campaign, killings were concentrated in the cities comprising the sprawling Metro Manila area, with its vast impoverished neighborhoods where the drug raids usually occur. Since the killing, all three children have stopped going to school. [59] This claim like similar police nanlaban claims in many other drug war cases that the individual killed had been fighting back was later debunked by witness testimony.[60]. [60] Edu Punay, Kian begged for his life before cops shot him, Philippine Star, October 3, 2017, https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/10/03/1745309/kian-begged-his-life-cops-shot-him (accessed May 2, 2020). [28] Philippines Disinformation Campaign in Geneva, Human Rights Watch news release, July 6, 2019, https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/07/06/philippines-disinformation-campaign-geneva (accessed May 2, 2020). Almost cheerfully, he bathed Kyle, changed his clothes, and helped him into his school uniform even as Kyle grabbed a knife and chased him with it. [32], The administration has also targeted the political opposition. [41], Journalists and media outlets who have reported critically on the war on drugs have also faced harassment both on social media and from the government. Andrea wanted to take Karla with her to Taytay, a town north of Manila, where the girl could live with her and her new husband. [14] Duterte also promised police officers impunity for rights abuses, stating he would protect them, and ultimately pardon them, if ever they are convicted for enforcing his anti-drug policies. [134], Early on, the department announced that existing programs would meet the needs of these families, but no specific programs have been created, and Human Rights Watchs research indicates that their special needs remain unaddressed.[135]. To support her mother, who sells peanuts and washes clothes for a living, Melanie also started selling boiled peanuts in the streets of General Santos, often well into the evening. When she found one, she started spending less time with Kyle. [30] In some cases, the government has brought inflammatory charges against activist groups, alleging illegal possession of firearms, for example, in actions apparently designed to harass, intimidate, and ultimately silence them. The Department of Social Welfare and Development, the main government agency responsible for the welfare of children, does not have a specific program directly aimed at addressing the needs of children affected by the drug war. Whatever assistance the department gives children and families is derived from existing programs, such as cash assistance for burial expenses or its conditional cash transfer program. When Human Rights Watch spoke to Karla, she was still upset about the time she got feverish one night that month and was all by herself in a cousins house. If they wanted us dead, we would have been dead a long time ago, Robert said. I want him to leave this place because he might grow up like the other kids who went astray or ended up in jail.. The community Zeny and Kyle lived in Delpan is similar to the urban communities where many drug war victims lived, which is to say impoverished areas with high rates of violent crime. What happens to them, who will take care of them? a crying Benigno told the men, according to Jennifers mother Belinda M.[113] Jennifer said she tried to shield her father by hugging him and covering him with her small body. [98] In another case, a mother who was allegedly on a police drug watch list was forced to leave her children behind in the care of their grandparents. Police say they shot him because he fought back. These, he said, were the manifestation of the violence that they saw.. [100] Human Rights Watch interview with Lee-Ann L., Quezon City, February 4, 2019. While the kids remained in school, they no longer had the usual support that they received from their father. But as the killings continue, such voluntary efforts have been overwhelmed and are insufficient to address the needs of affected children. Diana did not want to go into details of why she was targeted, but she said it might have something to do with a previous side gig she did providing information to the local police about drug dealing in the city. Economic impacts of this loss include inability to pay for food, school supplies, and public transport to school. But Karla refused, afraid her mother would just turn her into the housekeeper for a friend of Andreas husband. She said her father did not have a gun, that she never saw one in their home. During a visit in February 2019, Human Rights Watch saw Kyle pick up a skateboard and hit his mother repeatedly with it as he bounced about the living room shouting. Several days after her father was killed during a police raid in December 2016, Jennifer M., whose case is detailed above (see Section III), was interviewed by a television network about what happened. In speech after speech, Duterte has ordered the police to kill drug suspects, and even to plant evidence during raids. [8] The killings have also worsened in other urban areas, particularly in the central Philippine province of Cebu. Human Rights Watch would like to thank these groups and individuals for their assistance in the research and preparation of this report, as well as the video that is accompanying it: Kiri Dalena, Bahay Tuluyan, Childrens Legal Rights and Development Center, Project Support for Orphans and Widows, Network Against Killings in the Philippines, iDefend, Arnold Janssen Kalinga Center, and Resbak. [91] Human Rights Watch interview with Malou M., Quezon City, February 8, 2019. Investigate the deaths of all children killed in the war on drugs. Publicize the results of those investigations and make specific recommendations for accountability in all cases where there is sufficient evidence for such a determination. [123] Human Rights Watch interview with Carmen D., General Santos City, May 21, 2018. The gunmen managed to escape on their motorcycle. 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The report is no longer available online, but a copy is on file with Human Rights Watch. One night in August 2017, two men arrived on a motorcycle, entered the restaurant where the sisters were working, sat down, and ordered beer.