More than 60 human rights defenders from all over the island attended the two separate consultation-workshops aimed at improving the quick response team (QRT) mechanism to better respond to cases of human rights violations.
Since the imposition of martial law in Mindanao until December 2017, Karapatan recorded 126 victims of extrajudicial killings, three cases of enforced disappearances, more than 400,000 victims of forced evacuation and nearly 3,000 cases of military encampment in schools, religious, medical facilities, and public places.
The situation called for a faster and stronger response from human rights defenders. The first consultation-workshop held in Davao City on January 31, 2018 was attended by 36 participants, majority of whom are human rights victims themselves.
The second one, held in Cagayan de Oro City on February 7, 2018, gathered 33 participants.
Both consultation-workshops were facilitated by Atty. Maria Sol, Taule, legal counsel of human rights alliance Karapatan.
The continuing challenge turned out to be the limited number of personnel who have to travel far to respond to cases. While skills are continuously harnessed through experience and direct involvement in human rights work, resources do not match the demands of the tasks at hand for many instances. Yet, despite the limitations, the participants are resolved to carry on the task of documenting and responding to cases of rights violations.
The gathering was initiated by HUSTISYA.
