German Action Network Human Rights Philippines
Towards an improvement of the human rights situation in the Philippines
News
Film Screening Cologne: 11,103 – A film about Martial Law survivors in the Philippines
On May 2, 2023, the documentary 11,103, produced by Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala and directed by Jeannette Ifurung and Mike Alcazaren, was screened by the Aktionsbündnis Menschenrechte-Philippinen and Dakila-Active Vista at the Asienhaus in Cologne. The film chronicles the lives of Martial Law survivors...
Cordillera: Intensified political persecution of activists
Human rights groups such as Karapatan and the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance opposed a...
Massacre in Himamaylan City in Negros
Human rights organization Karapatan called on the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to launch an...
No end to the “war on drugs” under Marcos
Human rights experts at the United Nations called in June 2023 for an end to the global so-called...
Advocacy
As non-governmental organizations, we represent the interests of those affected by human rights violations in the Philippines vis-à-vis the human rights committees and bodies of international cooperation of the German government and international organizations such as the European Union and the United Nations.
Human Rights in the Philippines
The Philippines has committed itself to protecting, respecting, and fulilling human rights by signing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and ratifying various UN human rights treaties. Implementation is enshrined in the 1987 Philippine Constitution, as well as in other agreements (such as the Bill of Rights) and institutions (such as the Philippine Commission on Human Rights/CHR). The Philippines has ratified eight out of the nine most significant UN human rights conventions; the UN Convention against Enforced Disappearances has yet to be signed or ratified by the Philippines:
- UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1986)
- UN Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1974)
- UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1986)
- UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1981)
- UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1967)
- UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (1995)
- UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1990)
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2008)
- UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (not yet ratified by the Philippines)
Individual cases
The AMP documents and accompanies individual cases of enforced disappearances, political killlings, and criminalizations of human rights defenders and journalists, which which exemplify the patterns of structural human rights violations.
An updated list of cases of political killings of human rights defenders and journalists are included in the AMP Human Rights Reports for the respective periods in 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2022.
- Enforced disappearances
- Political killings
- Criminalizations
Way of working
The AMP uses civil society lobbying instruments to influence decision-makers and multipliers in Germany as well as at the EU and UN levels. However, other means are also used to inform the public.
When talking about lobbying, many people first think of representatives of economic interests. Therefore, the AMP uses the term advocacy. Since the 1990s, civil society actors have been lobbying as new forces for democracy, making their concerns heard in the political arena.
What we do:
- Monitoring the human rights situation in the Philippines using direct information from our partners, information collected during our own travels to the Philippines and media articles.
- Documentation of individual cases of serious human rights violations.
- Development of protest and lobby letters.
- Regularly publishing analyses and AMP reports on the human rights situation in the Philippines.
- Briefing of political decision makers, parliamentarians, missions, and delegations to the Philippines.
- Organizing policy briefings and networking workshops.
Publications
Human Rights Report on the Philippines
Against the backdrop of significantly increasing human rights violations, the AMP publishes a comprehensive human rights report every two to three years. The reports are based on information, cases and core concerns of our Philippine partner organizations in order to draw international attention to human rights violations in the Philippines.
Advocacy materials and further reports
Advocacy work is directed at political decision-makers and multipliers in Germany as well as at the EU and UN levels. For this purpose, we publish statements, press releases, and other documents as well as reports in collaboration with the International Advocacy Networks (IAN) in order to contribute to the improvement of the human rights situation and the protection of human rights defenders in the Philippines.
About us
The Action Network Human Rights – Philippines
The Action Network Human Rights – Philippines (Aktionsbündnis Menschenrechte – Philippinen/AMP) aims to contribute through information and advocacy work, targeting decision-makers and civil society in Germany, the EU, and at the UN level, to an improvement of the human rights situation in the Philippines. Since its foundation in August 2007, the network coordinates policy dialogues, campaigns and international events, and publishes background papers.
The main focus of our work lies on the core human rights issues of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and fabricated charges against political activists.
Member Organisations of the AMP are Amnesty International Germany, Brot für die Welt (BfdW), International Peace Observers Network (IPON), MISEREOR, Missio Munich, philippinenbüro e.V., and the United Evangelical Mission (UEM).
