Waterboarding, sleep deprivation, beatings, shackling of suspects. Sound familiar? The stories of torture are being discussed not in the Philippines but the United States, where the Central Intelligence Agency is under fire for its interrogation methods employed in the war on terror.
Defenders of the methods say that in asymmetrical warfare, brutal interrogation techniques have led to valuable intelligence that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden. Similar arguments are heard around the world as governments try to balance the needs of national security with civil liberties.
The debate rages as the world marks Human Rights Day. In 1950, the United Nations dedicated Dec. 10 to human rights in hopes that adherence to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights would bind the globe. With the theme “Human Rights 365” this year, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is urging the global community to respect human rights “every day of the year.” As the debate on torture and police brutality shows, it’s an admonition that is not easily followed.
In the Philippines, a law expressly prohibiting torture was passed several years ago, but stories abound about the persistence of the practice among security forces. The country has one of the highest rates of killings attributed to state forces. And while Filipinos tout press freedom, the country is ranked among the worst five in the Impunity Index for journalist killings. The Maguindanao massacre remains the world’s worst attack on journalists.
Extrajudicial killings and torture aren’t the only human rights problems in this democracy. Human trafficking remains a serious problem. The principal victims – women and children – also continue to suffer from other forms of abuse including domestic violence, despite strong laws to promote their welfare.
Most of the victims are poor. Poverty engenders many human rights violations. Nations that are in the best position to promote human rights 365 days of the year are those where the majority have been lifted from poverty, and have sufficient education to know their rights.