Human rights advocates from across the country convened today for a public forum at the University of the Philippines in Diliman to explore perspectives on human rights and the international humanitarian law.
The forum on Republic Act 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity discussed the emerging issues surrounding the law's implementation.
The forum also explored perspectives from Mindanao where the Maguindanao massacre took place and where civilian women were killed along with lawyers and journalists, and then buried in shallow graves. The massacre catapulted the Philippines as the world's most dangerous country for journalists.
Two speakers from Mindanao who shared their perspectives are Amina Rasul, lead Convenor of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy (PCID) and Ruby Rose Lora from the Initiatives for International Dialogue, an advocacy and solidarity institution promoting peace, conflict prevention, democratization and the right to self-determination in Southeast Asia.
“The International Humanitarian Law has a positive implication to the on-going peace process in Mindanao. This law will protect civilians especially in Mindanao where war and armed conflicts have resulted to grave human rights violations,” Lora said.
The International Committee of the Red Cross will also have a session clarifying its role in the implementation of the law. The academe and civil societies such as the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy, Initiatives for International Dialogue and the International Committee of the Red Cross has been supporting government authorities in their efforts to promote the international humanitarian law. (IID)
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