The travails of human rights defenders

THE emergence of human rights defenders (HRDs) is both an indictment and a symptom of the failure and neglect of the government to fully protect, promote and fulfill human rights. HRDs are surrogate defenders due to government’s default in its primary obligation as the official protector of human rights.

The tragic plight of Filipino HRDs as a result of the relentless persecution of them by the government shamefully aggravates the state’s culpable non-compliance with the constitutional mandate that the “State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights.”