MANILA, Philippines — Extrajudicial killings of drug suspects, attacks on indigenous peoples, violations of reproductive health rights, child labor and discrimination related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are the key issues that the Philippines faced in 2016, a human rights group said.
International watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its World Report 2017 which reviews human rights practices in more than 90 countries.
For the Philippines, the report centered on President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs which led to an unprecedented level of apparent extrajudicial killings by law enforcement officers since the new chief executive took office.
“In the name of wiping out ‘drug crime,’ President Duterte has steamrolled human rights protections and elevated unlawful killings of criminal suspects to a cornerstone of government policy," HRW deputy Asia director Phelim Kine said.
Kine added that friends of the Philippines need to make it clear that there cannot be "business as usual" unless the killings stop.
The report also noted how the Philippine government responded to 6,000 protesters, primarily indigenous peoples and farmers, from drought-stricken areas in North Cotabato and Bukidnon in March 2016.
The protesters gathered in Kidapawan City to call for government food aid and other assistance but the police responded by shooting live ammunition into the crowd, resulting in the death of two people.
The Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights opened a public hearing on the incident but has not yet released the results of its investigation into the incident.
Another key issue mentioned in the report was the growing HIV epidemic in Asia. The Philippines recorded the fastest growing rate of HIV infection in the region.
New HIV infections in Asia is driven among men who have sex with men, according to the World Report.
"The worsening HIV epidemic is driven by national, provincial, and local government policies that are hostile to evidence-based policies and interventions, including condom use," HRW said.
The report also supported the implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RH) Law. The group has documented policies in the country that derail its full enforcement.
"Millions of Filipinos rely on state-provided contraceptive services and supplies for protection from sexually transmitted infections, and for safe birth-spacing and family planning," HRW said.
Duterte recently issued Executive Order 12 which orders the implementation of the RH law in the country.
This order was issued after his promise in his first State of the Nation Address to put the RH law into full force and effect.