Impact of the “War on Drugs” on Children in the Philippines
Summary
Thousands of people in the Philippines have been killed since President Rodrigo
Duterte launched his “war on drugs” on June 30, 2016, the day he took office. Among
those who died have been dozens of children under age 18 who were either specifically
targeted or were inadvertently shot during anti-drug raids, what authorities have called
“collateral damage.” Philippine children’s rights nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
put the total number of child fatalities at 101 from July 2016 through December 2018,
both targeted and killed as bystanders. More deaths of children have been reported in
the media in 2019 and 2020.
More broadly, official figures from the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug
Enforcement Agency put the number of “drug war” casualties at 5,601 deaths as of
January 31, 2020. In virtually every case, police claimed they killed a drug seller or user
during a raid after the suspect resisted arrest and fought back. The national
Commission on Human Rights and domestic human rights groups believe many
thousands more – estimated at more than 27,000 – have been killed by the police,
agents of the police, or unidentified assailants.
The overwhelming majority of these killings have not been properly investigated.
According to the Philippine Department of Justice in January 2019, just 76 deaths have
led to investigations. Even then, only 33 resulted in court cases and 5 were pending
before the Office of the Prosecutor, while the prosecutor dismissed half – 38 cases. At
time of writing, only one case – the killing of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos by three
police officers in August 2017, which happened to be captured on video – has resulted
in a trial and conviction.
Human Rights Watch also investigated the killings of adults in which police showed little
to no regard for the safety and welfare of children, often conducting raids in the middle
of the night while the entire family was at home. In many raids, children witnessed the
killing of a parent, or were present while their parent was dragged away and shot.
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. 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.
At school and in their own communities, some experienced bullying because of the
stigma of alleged drug use by a now deceased parent. Human Rights Watch met one 5-
year-old boy who developed aggressive and violent behavior after his father’s gruesome
, killing. A number of children have stopped going to school because they no longer had
enough money for transportation, food, and school supplies.
The loss of a parent who is the main breadwinner can plunge an already impoverished
family into even more extreme poverty. Many children are left with no choice but to
work, and some end up homeless and living in the streets, further exposing themselves
to danger, violence, and criminal activity.
The Philippine government, apart from its refusal to effectively and impartially
investigate the killings and its policy of detaining children in conflict with the law, has
done little to address the needs of children directly affected by the anti-drug campaign.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development, the main government agency
responsible for the welfare of children, does not have a specific program directly aimed
at addressing the needs of children affected by the “drug war.” Whatever assistance the
department gives children and families is derived from existing programs, such as cash
assistance for burial expenses or its conditional cash transfer program.
Families have been wary about approaching the government for help because they
consider the police and other government officials to be responsible for the loss they
have suffered. This leaves the children and their families left with only programs
supported by civic and nongovernmental groups, particularly those from the Roman
Catholic Church and a few Protestant and ecumenical groups. In some communities
where violence is frequent, parish priests and lay workers have been leading the effort
to help by providing psycho-social (mental health) support, economic assistance,
support for children to attend school, and help in finding and supporting livelihoods for
affected families. But as the killings continue, such voluntary efforts have been
overwhelmed and are insufficient to address the needs of affected children.
Human Rights Watch believes governments should ensure respect for human rights in
their policies and practices on the use, possession, production, and distribution of
drugs. We oppose the criminalization of the personal use of drugs and the possession
of drugs for personal use. To deter, prevent, and remedy the harmful use of drugs,
governments should rely on non-penal regulatory and public health approaches that do
not violate human rights.
Human Rights Watch calls on the Philippine government to end its abusive anti-drug
campaign and investigate and prosecute those responsible for killings and other human
rights violations. The UN Human Rights Council should establish an independent
international investigative mechanism into extrajudicial killings and other violations
committed in the context of the “war on drugs” since June 2016. The families of victims
of unlawful killings by government officials and their agents should be promptly and
fairly compensated for their loss. Government agencies should address the dire needs
of children whose breadwinner has been killed, especially those living in impoverished
communities across the Philippines where the killings typically take place, and ensure
the government adopts measures to protect affected children from abuse.
Summary
Thousands of people in the Philippines have been killed since President Rodrigo
Duterte launched his “war on drugs” on June 30, 2016, the day he took office. Among
those who died have been dozens of children under age 18 who were either specifically
targeted or were inadvertently shot during anti-drug raids, what authorities have called
“collateral damage.” Philippine children’s rights nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
put the total number of child fatalities at 101 from July 2016 through December 2018,
both targeted and killed as bystanders. More deaths of children have been reported in
the media in 2019 and 2020.
More broadly, official figures from the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug
Enforcement Agency put the number of “drug war” casualties at 5,601 deaths as of
January 31, 2020. In virtually every case, police claimed they killed a drug seller or user
during a raid after the suspect resisted arrest and fought back. The national
Commission on Human Rights and domestic human rights groups believe many
thousands more – estimated at more than 27,000 – have been killed by the police,
agents of the police, or unidentified assailants.
The overwhelming majority of these killings have not been properly investigated.
According to the Philippine Department of Justice in January 2019, just 76 deaths have
led to investigations. Even then, only 33 resulted in court cases and 5 were pending
before the Office of the Prosecutor, while the prosecutor dismissed half – 38 cases. At
time of writing, only one case – the killing of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos by three
police officers in August 2017, which happened to be captured on video – has resulted
in a trial and conviction.
Human Rights Watch also investigated the killings of adults in which police showed little
to no regard for the safety and welfare of children, often conducting raids in the middle
of the night while the entire family was at home. In many raids, children witnessed the
killing of a parent, or were present while their parent was dragged away and shot.
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. 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.
At school and in their own communities, some experienced bullying because of the
stigma of alleged drug use by a now deceased parent. Human Rights Watch met one 5-
year-old boy who developed aggressive and violent behavior after his father’s gruesome
, killing. A number of children have stopped going to school because they no longer had
enough money for transportation, food, and school supplies.
The loss of a parent who is the main breadwinner can plunge an already impoverished
family into even more extreme poverty. Many children are left with no choice but to
work, and some end up homeless and living in the streets, further exposing themselves
to danger, violence, and criminal activity.
The Philippine government, apart from its refusal to effectively and impartially
investigate the killings and its policy of detaining children in conflict with the law, has
done little to address the needs of children directly affected by the anti-drug campaign.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development, the main government agency
responsible for the welfare of children, does not have a specific program directly aimed
at addressing the needs of children affected by the “drug war.” Whatever assistance the
department gives children and families is derived from existing programs, such as cash
assistance for burial expenses or its conditional cash transfer program.
Families have been wary about approaching the government for help because they
consider the police and other government officials to be responsible for the loss they
have suffered. This leaves the children and their families left with only programs
supported by civic and nongovernmental groups, particularly those from the Roman
Catholic Church and a few Protestant and ecumenical groups. In some communities
where violence is frequent, parish priests and lay workers have been leading the effort
to help by providing psycho-social (mental health) support, economic assistance,
support for children to attend school, and help in finding and supporting livelihoods for
affected families. But as the killings continue, such voluntary efforts have been
overwhelmed and are insufficient to address the needs of affected children.
Human Rights Watch believes governments should ensure respect for human rights in
their policies and practices on the use, possession, production, and distribution of
drugs. We oppose the criminalization of the personal use of drugs and the possession
of drugs for personal use. To deter, prevent, and remedy the harmful use of drugs,
governments should rely on non-penal regulatory and public health approaches that do
not violate human rights.
Human Rights Watch calls on the Philippine government to end its abusive anti-drug
campaign and investigate and prosecute those responsible for killings and other human
rights violations. The UN Human Rights Council should establish an independent
international investigative mechanism into extrajudicial killings and other violations
committed in the context of the “war on drugs” since June 2016. The families of victims
of unlawful killings by government officials and their agents should be promptly and
fairly compensated for their loss. Government agencies should address the dire needs
of children whose breadwinner has been killed, especially those living in impoverished
communities across the Philippines where the killings typically take place, and ensure
the government adopts measures to protect affected children from abuse.
