Human Rights Issues in the Context of the War on Drugs
Introduction
Drugs are a big problem in the Philippines. Many people use illegal drugs like shabu
and marijuana. The government is trying to stop drug use, but it's a difficult problem.
Many people need help to stop using drugs. Before President Duterte took place in 2016,
estimates of the number of drug users in the Philippines is very widely. The Philippine
Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) estimated that 1.8 million Filipinos were addicts,
while President Duterte himself claimed the number was 8 million.
Human rights issues have become more well-known in recent years, especially during
the time of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. His controversial war on drugs
caught international attention because of reports of widespread human rights abuses.
This policy aimed to stop illegal drug use and sales, but it was criticized for being too
harsh and for ignoring human rights laws. Even while Duterte was in office, people
were already questioning this policy. Over time, it became even more infamous as
investigations revealed the harm it caused. Critics argue that the war on drugs did not
follow human rights laws, leading to many problems like killings without proper
trials, random arrests, and other abuses.
This paper looks into key questions, such as:
1. What human rights laws were reportedly ignored during the war on drugs?
2. What effects have these violations had on society, government, and international
relations?
Some human rights laws that were reportedly ignored include:
• The Right to Life (Article 3, Universal Declaration of Human Rights): Aggressive
enforcement, including killings without proper legal process, went against this basic
right. Amnesty International reports that thousands of people died without going
through fair trials (Amnesty International, 2019).
• The Presumption of Innocence and Right to a Fair Trial (Article 11): Many people
were arrested or even killed without enough evidence or a fair hearing, according to
Human Rights Watch (Human Rights Watch, 2017).
• Freedom from Torture or Degrading Treatment (Article 5): There were reports of
abuse and torture of people suspected of drug-related crimes.
• Equality Before the Law (Article 7): Marginalized communities were reportedly
targeted more than others.
These actions have had serious effects, such as creating fear and distrust in law
enforcement, weakening democratic systems, and drawing criticism from the
international community. Groups like the United Nations and human rights
organizations have called for investigations and accountability. This has hurt the
Philippines’ reputation worldwide. Legal cases have also been filed against Duterte
and his administration at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against
humanity.
It is impossible to know how many people have been killed by police and other
government officials in the first year of Duterte's war on drugs, because the Philippine
state is neither transparent nor consistent about how often it kills 25 extra-legally
(Philippine Center for Investigative journalism, 2017)
The war on drugs also employs "mass interrogations" (sona) in which tens or hundreds
of (mostly poor) men are called out of their homes, lined up, arrested, and questioned.
Some of them end up dead (Syjuco, 2017). There is apparently "no certain or easy 38
way to get off Duterte's list," (Symmes,supra note 33)
Conclusion
The war on drugs policy under Duterte raised big concerns about whether it followed
human rights laws. Violations, such as killings without due process, unfair trials, and
abuse, have been widely reported. These actions have caused serious issues at home
and abroad, leading to demands for justice. More research is needed to fully
understand the impact of these violations and to find ways to promote human rights in
future policies.
the war on drugs in the Philippines, which remains common in many countries that have
abolished the death penalty and in many more that retain it but seldom carry out judicial
executions. In the first year of Rodrigo Duterte's presidency (2016-2022). thousands of
people were killed by police or by vigilantes who were encouraged to prosecute his war
on drugs.
At a time when democracy is in retreat in many parts of the world, this case illustrates
how popular harsh punishment can be in states that have failed to meet their citizen’s
hopes for freedom, economic growth, and security.
References
Amnesty International. (2019). They just kill: Extrajudicial executions in the
Philippines. [Link]
Human Rights Watch. (2017). License to kill: Philippine police abuse of the right to
life in the war on
drugs. [Link]
abuses-war-drugs
