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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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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.

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Statement from the Medical Action Group, Inc.
June 26, 2015
International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (IDSVT)

BREAKING THE SILENCE FROM TORTURE IMPUNITY

Torture is considered a crime under the international human rights law. It is prohibited everywhere, at all times, and no exceptional circumstances whatsoever can be used to justify it. However, the abominable practice of torture continues unabated throughout the world including the Philippines.

It most often takes place in places of detention – where people deprived of liberty are mistreated to extract information, to punish or to discriminate. Women and children in detention are most vulnerable to sexual violence. Many people are subjected to torture on the grounds of their sexual orientation, ethnic origins, political and religious beliefs, age or disabilities.

Yet, no one is punished for committing torture.

Torture has devastating effects not only to torture victims but also to their immediate families, communities and larger society. It is intended to silence the victims. Oftentimes, it is not the survivor's inability to speak but the fear of reprisal.

Once tortured is tortured for life.

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Statement

April 30, 2015

Protect human rights defenders! Stop criminalization of human rights work!

 

The Medical Action Group (MAG), Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) and Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) has launched a campaign affirming the essential contribution of human rights defenders to the promotion of human rights, democracy, development and good governance, and calling on the government to support and safeguard their work, and to stop criminalization of human rights work.

The campaign, “I am a human rights defender”, is an offline and online awareness campaign by MAG, TFDP and PAHRA about human rights defenders who face risk and subject to attack by state and non-state actors because of their human rights work.

Every day land rights defenders, trade unionists, women’s rights activists among others are subjected to reprisal, intimidation and violence to prevent them from speaking out. Such attacks may take a variety of forms: personal threats or threats against members of defenders’ families, smear campaigns, death threats, physical attacks, kidnapping, judicial harassment, murder and other forms of police harassment or intimidation.