Thanks to visit codestin.com
Credit goes to www.scribd.com

Scribd
Upload
49 views2 pages

Philippines' War On Drugs'

- Since taking office in 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has led a "war on drugs" campaign resulting in over 12,000 deaths, mostly of urban poor Filipinos. At least 2,555 killings have been attributed to the Philippine National Police. - The campaign could amount to crimes against humanity as Duterte and officials have instigated the killings. Police are also falsifying evidence to justify unlawful killings. - The "war on drugs" has had collateral damage on children by causing emotional, psychological and economic impacts through their loss of parents or witnessing extrajudicial killings. Children interviewed suffered difficulties eating, withdrawing from school, and even living on the streets with no caregiver. The

Uploaded by

DIANNA KIM ADAME
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
49 views2 pages

Philippines' War On Drugs'

- Since taking office in 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has led a "war on drugs" campaign resulting in over 12,000 deaths, mostly of urban poor Filipinos. At least 2,555 killings have been attributed to the Philippine National Police. - The campaign could amount to crimes against humanity as Duterte and officials have instigated the killings. Police are also falsifying evidence to justify unlawful killings. - The "war on drugs" has had collateral damage on children by causing emotional, psychological and economic impacts through their loss of parents or witnessing extrajudicial killings. Children interviewed suffered difficulties eating, withdrawing from school, and even living on the streets with no caregiver. The

Uploaded by

DIANNA KIM ADAME
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Philippines’ ‘War on

Drugs’
Since taking office on June 30, 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte
has carried out a “war on drugs” that has led to the deaths of over 12,000
Filipinos to date, mostly urban poor. At least 2,555 of the killings have been
attributed to the Philippine National Police. Duterte and other senior officials
have instigated and incited the killings in a campaign that could amount to
crimes against humanity.

Human Rights Watch research has found that police are falsifying evidence


to justify the unlawful killings. Despite growing calls for an investigation,
Duterte has vowed to continue the campaign.

Large-scale extrajudicial violence as a crime solution was a marker of


Duterte’s 22-year tenure as mayor of Davao City and the cornerstone of
his presidential campaign. On the eve of his May 9, 2016 election victory,
Duterte told a crowd of more than 300,000: “If I make it to the presidential
palace I will do just what I did as mayor. You drug pushers, holdup men, and
do-nothings, you better get out because I'll kill you.”

However what are the consequences of this actions?

The web feature, “Collateral Damage: The Children of Duterte’s ‘War


on Drugs,’” shares stories on the plight of several children who have
suffered from the emotional, psychological, and economic impacts of the
“drug war” violence. The administration of President Rodrigo Duterte
should not only end the violence but provide the necessary services to
mitigate the damage that abuses by the police and police-backed
vigilantes have caused children who have lost parents and other family
members, or witnessed extrajudicial killings.
“No child should experience the loss of a parent or other family member
to extrajudicial killings or witness such horrific violence at the hands of
police or hitmen,” said Carlos Conde, Philippines researcher. “The toll
of the Philippines’ ‘drug war’ does not end with the killing of a drug
suspect, but may extend to their children, often completely destroying
families.”

By the government’s own admission, more than 6,600 people have been


killed since the “drug war” began after Duterte’s election three years
ago. Other estimates are much higher. Children have been among those
who died during police operations, either directly targeted or
inadvertently shot by the police.

“Jennifer,” one of the children interviewed by Human Rights Watch,


was 11 years old when police shot her father dead. She has since had
difficulty eating, become withdrawn, and for a while stopped going to
school.

“Kyle,” age 5, developed aggressive behavior after assailants murdered


his father. Three other children interviewed by Human Rights Watch
ended up living in the streets because nobody could take care of them.
Most victims of the “drug war” come from poor families in
impoverished urban areas in Manila and other cities across the
Philippines.

“The Philippine government needs to be held accountable for the


suffering of these children.”

You might also like