Gov't fails to assist children orphaned by drug war –Human Rights Watch

The government has failed to assist the children of victims of its war on drugs, leaving orphans economically, psychologically, and socially hurt and at the mercy of civic groups and the streets, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Wednesday.

In a report, HRW said there is no specific government program to directly address the needs of children affected by the deadly anti-drug campaign. Whatever assistance is given comes from existing programs, such as conditional cash transfer and aid for burial expenses, it said.

"The Philippine government has failed to assist the children of those killed in its abusive 'war on drugs.' Beyond the illegality of the killings themselves, the government has violated the fundamental rights of the children of victims," HRW said.

The report presents information on 23 drug war deaths, gathered through HRW's interviews with 49 people, including 10 children, 23 parents, relatives or guardians, and 16 individuals from government offices and nongovernmental groups.

"The harmful consequences for children of Duterte's anti-drug campaign go beyond the immediate violence of the raids. Many suffer psychological distress after witnessing the killing of a loved one," HRW said.

"Some children have had to leave their homes and community, either going into hiding or relocating because they and their family members feared for their lives," it added.

HRW also reported stories of children getting bullied in school because their classmates thought their parent was a drug user, with some dropping out altogether because of the stigma and for lack of money, and of orphans trying to make a living out of menial jobs.

Some have become homeless, HRW said.

Because their loved ones were allegedly killed by the police, the families have been wary about asking the government for help, HRW said. What they have left are programs for economic and psycho-social assistance run by civic and nongovernmental groups, particularly those from the religious sector.

"But as the killings continue, such voluntary efforts have been overwhelmed and are insufficient to address the needs of affected children," HRW said.

Psychological distress

On top of the financial impact of a breadwinner's death, the families they leave behind have also experienced profound psychological distress, especially young children who personally witnessed a parent getting killed, HRW said.

Among the people interviewed by HRW was Jennifer, who was 12 when police killed her father in their Payatas home in 2016. She tried to cling to her father to shield him but was wrestled away and flung outside. She saw her father dead on the ground seconds later, HRW said.

“I was confused because I didn't understand why. Why my papa? Of all the people outside, why did they pick my father? I was angry at the policemen because my father was begging for mercy, but they didn't listen to him. That's why I was so angry," HRW reported her as saying.

Karla, on the other hand, was 10 when her father was killed at a wake in Mandaluyong City. She saw her father get killed as she hid beneath her aunt's coffin. Her mother said the girl was "always in a daze" after.

"I was there when it happened, when my papa was shot. I saw everything, how my papa was shot. … Our happy family is gone. We don't have anyone to call father now. We want to be with him, but we can't anymore," Karla told HRW.

Five-year-old Kyle, meanwhile, did not see his father get killed but saw his picture being flashed on TV. His father was found dead in 2016, stabbed 19 times, head wrapped in packaging tape, and dumped on an overpass in Tondo, HRW said.

Kyle's mother said he became aggressive after the killing. During a visit in 2019, HRW said it saw the boy hit his mother with a skateboard, curse at her, and flash his middle finger. Her mother said the boy once threatened to kill a friend and wrap him with packaging tape, HRW said.

"I fear [what will happen] when he grows up [because] he becomes so violent…. He might turn out like the other kids who have gone astray or might be jailed. That's what I fear," his mother, Zeny, told HRW.

HRW said names were changed to protect the families' privacy and prevent possible retaliation.

Government response

HRW reported that the special needs of children orphaned by the drug war "remain unaddressed" in the absence of specific programs that would help them.

"Even if there were programs, government agencies would need to address the deep wariness – if not outright fear – that many families and children of victims feel about approaching the government for help," HRW said.

HRW thus urged the government to officially end the war on drugs and to prosecute perpetrators, including law enforcement who allegedly committed abuses during the campaign.

The international group also recommended that the government promptly and fairly compensate the families of drug war victims and ensure that children are kept in school and away from bullying, economic exploitation, and possible retaliation.

HRW also reported that children themselves have been killed in the drug war, either in targeted raids like in the case of Kian delos Santos, or simply because "they were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Three police officers were found guilty of killing Delos Santos in 2018, the first and so far only criminal conviction of law enforcement implementing the war on drugs, which has killed thousands of alleged drug suspects since 2016. --KBK, GMA News