Extrajudicial killings, delays in the justice system, corruption and abuse of power remain the Philippines’ biggest challenge in upholding human rights, an annual report by the US State Department released Thursday (yesterday in Manila) said.
The “2014 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,” transmitted by US Secretary of State John Kerry to the US Congress, contained the significant human rights problems in the Philippines that included observations made during the 2013 elections particularly on local control of politicians on security forces.
The report enumerated the biggest human rights problems as extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances undertaken by security forces and suspected vigilante groups; a weak and overburdened criminal justice system notable for poor cooperation between police and investigators; a meager record of prosecutions and lengthy procedural delays; and widespread official corruption and abuse of power.
Other human rights problems mentioned in the report included allegations of prisoner/detainee torture and abuse by security forces; harassment, including allegations of violence against human rights activists by local security forces; warrantless arrests; lengthy pretrial detentions; overcrowded and inadequate prison conditions; killings and harassment of journalists; internally displaced persons (IDPs); violence against women; abuse and exploitation of children; trafficking in persons; limited access to facilities for persons with disabilities; lack of full integration of indigenous people; absence of law and policy to protect persons from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity; child labor; and ineffective enforcement of worker rights.
MANILA BULLETIN
