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MAG envisions a society where fundamental human rights are upheld and protected at all times in accordance with the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights

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Press release

November 11, 2015

Medical doctors presses for right to rehabilitation of victims of torture

Around eighty (80) medical doctors across the country gathered today in the Scientific Conference on the Management and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims on November 11-12, 2015 at the Ciudad Christia Resort, in San Mateo, Rizal.

The conference also entitled, Mainstreaming Human Rights in Health Care, is being organized by the Medical Action Group (MAG) http://magph.org/ and the Department of Health (DOH). This will highlight current initiatives being implemented in the Philippines to promote right to rehabilitation of torture victims (survivors).

Attending the conference are city and municipal health officers who has an essential role in preventing torture by effective medical documentation of torture cases and they are among the first persons to come into contact with a torture victim or survivor after alleged torture incident.

“There is a need to raise awareness and level of knowledge of doctors in government service on Republic Act No. 9745 otherwise known as the Anti-Torture Law http://www.congress.gov.ph/download/ra_14/RA09745.pdf. The law details what constitute torture and ill treatment, the doctors’ legal obligations specifically the documentation and medical reporting of alleged victims of torture or ill treatment, and the mechanics of effective referral among agencies concerned in the daunting task of holistic rehabilitation,” said Dr. Criselda G. Abesamis, Director IV, DOH Health Facility Development Bureau.

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DKA Austria #Orthman 

Superhero (video) campaign ÖRTHMAN on COP21 in Paris. It is part of the international campaign “Change for the Planet – Care for the People” of the international alliance of Catholic development agencies CIDSE: http://www.cidse.org/rethinking-development/change-for-the-planet-care-for-the-people.html
The story:

We have invented an Austrian super hero: ÖRTHMAN (Earthman – the spelling follows the German pronunciation; “Ö” also connotes “Österreich”/Austria and “Ökologie”/Ecology) has saved the planet from doom by fighting his evil counterparts with his super forces all his life. And now? The life on earth is again threatened but it’s not so easy anymore to identify the evildoers. Millions of people are contributing are to the destruction of the planet but not following an evil plan but simply by their consumerist lifestyle. ÖRTHMAN has realised that this time he won’t be able to save the world as a lone hero with “boom – kraboom!” but he will need the “crowd”. He has to build alliances with people all over the world who don’t want to see the world facing ruin. He is looking for other “ordinary super heros” like you and me who join the movement to save the world.

As it is a campaign that focuses on young people it is mainly in German language but it has English subtitles for the videos.

You can watch the first one here:

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ANNOUNCEMENT


SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE ON THE HEALTH SECTOR’S IMPLEMENTATION OF RA 9745

Theme: “Mainstreaming Human Rights in Public Health”

A violation of one’s right demands for a remedy.

Torture is one of the gravest forms of human rights violation. . It is a deliberate act of cruelty by inflicting severe physical and emotional sufferings against any persons.

The right to torture rehabilitation is an integral part of the right to reparation. This recognizes that emotional trauma is much worse than physical injury. Torture victims desperately need help to mend their shattered bodies and mind from their traumatic experiences .It is said that once tortured is tortured for life.

In order to consolidate existing efforts to address torture and its ill-effects, the Health Facilities Development Bureau of the Department of Health (DoH) in partnership with the Medical Action Group will hold a Scientific Conference on Torture Rehabilitation on November 11 & 12, 2015 at Ciudad Christhia, San Mateo, Rizal, Philippines.


A. The Scientific Conference on Torture Rehabilitation

The Conference will bring together key stakeholders from the health sector in public and private to share knowledge and experiences in addressing torture and for the effective delivery of rehabilitation services.

 

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Press release

September 23, 2015

Paramilitary groups, impunity….the entrenched legacies of martial law

More than nine months for the Aquino administration term end, his administration will be remembered for lost ground on important measures of breaking impunity which is the entrenched legacy of martial law, said the Medical Action Group Inc. (MAG), Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) and Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) on the 43rd commemoration of Martial Law.

The harassments and killings of human rights defenders are on the rise in the country. Based on the documentation by the MAG and TFDP under its “Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) Protection project”, since September 2013, there are 34 cases of harassment, intimidation and extra judicial killings committed to HRDs. Most of them are resisting land grabbing, mining and other development aggression projects.

“These incidents are part of a growing pattern of criminalization of human rights work and alleged human rights violations committed against human rights defenders in the country that must be broken before it escalates beyond control,” Edeliza P. Hernandez, MAG Executive Director said.

While human rights defenders play crucial role in seeking accountability for human rights violations both by government and corporations, they have faced significant challenges such as filing of trump up charges against them leading to their arrest and detention, which are systematically used by authorities to suppress dissent. For instance, the case of Barangay Chairperson Antonio L. Tolentino, human rights defender and one of the leaders of Aniban ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan ng Hacienda Dolores (ANIBAN), was arrested due to trumped up charges filed by private land developer and detained since April 16, 2014.