Karapatan Alliance Philippines (KARAPATAN)
19 December 2018 3:45 pm

The Philippines

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.karapatan.org/

Tel: +632 34354146 Fax: +632-4354146

About:

KARAPATAN is an alliance of organizations, groups and individuals working for the promotion and defense of human rights and people’s rights in the Philippines and at the global level. Its founders and charter members have been at the forefront of the human rights struggle in the Philippines since the martial law regime of the dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos.

KARAPATAN firmly believes that...

• Human rights should be respected in all its dimensions – civil and political, economic, social and cultural.
• Basic rights to life, humane treatment, and due process – a life of dignity - should be upheld and respected at all times.
• An unconcerned, cruel and spiteful government, which preserves the interests of an indecently wealthy and self-seeking few, is the worst violator of human rights.
• Our advocacy for human rights and people’s rights must always be for the marginalized and under-represented classes, sectors and groups.
• We, the people, have the right to be free from all forms of oppression and exploitation.
• The struggle of the Filipino people for national liberation and social emancipation provides the framework for human rights advocacy.

Concretely, KARAPATAN holds that the fight for human rights and people’s rights is an essential component of the struggle of the peasants for land, agrarian reform and rural development; the workers for national industrialization, decent living wages and favorable working conditions; women, the LGBTQIs, persons with disabilities and the elderly against exploitation and discrimination; national minorities like the indigenous and Muslim people for self-determination; the poor for basic social services; and the youth for access to education and other venues for growth and development.

KARAPATAN was founded by its members organizations in 1995. KARAPATAN is a duly registered non-governmental organization with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission. KARAPATAN co-convenes the Ecumenical Voice for Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines (EcuVoice) and the Philippine UPR Watch. It is a member of the Civicus World Alliance for Citizen Participation, the SOS-Torture Network of the World Organization Against Torture, and, recently, of FORUM-ASIA. Its officers are involved in various feminist platforms such as the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development and the Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Rights.

KARAPATAN’s programs

Campaign and Public Information

KARAPATAN seeks to develop a strong public opinion and garner support for human rights issues and concerns. We expose and challenge state policies and actions that perpetrate these violations.

We come up with publications and annual and quarterly reports to provide alternative reports on the human rights situation in the country. We release urgent action alerts on cases of human rights violations which needs urgent public attention. We maximize all forms of media, including social media for our advocacy.

KARAPATAN also conduct lobby activities on pertinent measures and policies on human rights and people’s rights.

Education and Training

KARAPATAN aims to raise people’s awareness of their rights and help them develop their capacity to fight for and defend their rights by organizing them as human rights defenders and advocates. We also develop and circulate modules on basic human rights orientation, paralegal and documentation work and digital advocacy.

Network Building and Alliance Work

KARAPATAN enjoins organizations, groups and individuals to get involved in human rights and people’s rights issues, activities and programs. As an alliance, we establish partnerships with human rights organizations, multi-sectoral alliances and people’s organizations. We work closely with our chapters, member-organizations and fellow advocates.

International Solidarity

KARAPATAN enjoins international organizations and human rights organizations in other countries to support our defense of human rights. Through our membership and engagement with international networks, we promote solidarity across borders. We also engage with the United nations and all available platforms to expose and articulate the plight of victims and survivors.

Direct Services

KARAPATAN mobilizes various resources for the welfare and legal needs of victims of rights violations and their families. We mobilize quick reaction teams to respond immediately to cases of human rights violations such as arrests, killings, enforced disappearances, displacements, and demolitions. We also hold humanitarian mission to help provide relief for affected families and communities.

Documentation and Research

KARAPATAN gathers information on cases of human rights violations in the country. We conduct fact-finding missions to investigate reports of rights abuses in communities. We also have a databank. We make sure to validate and systematize the reports we gather or receive. We have started a library of files where court documents and other evidence are kept. We also do research and provide insights on government programs that impact on our basic and fundamental rights.

Contact Person:

Ms. Cristina Ellazar Palabay or Mr. Roneo Santos Clamor: [email protected]

Address:

2F Erythrina Bldg., 1 Maaralin corner Matatag Streets, Brgy. Central, Quezon City 1100 Philippines