Introduction
This shadow report is a submission by Franciscans International (FI), a faith-based International
Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) with General Consultative Status with the ECOSOC
Council of the United Nations (UN). Franciscans International was founded in 1982 to bring to the
international level of the United Nations the concerns of the most vulnerable and to advocate for a
stronger protection of all human beings’ rights.
Franciscan Solidarity Movement for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (FSMJPIC) is a
movement of Franciscans religious congregations in the Philippines. FSM JPIC works to promote
human rights, human dignity, social and environmental justice through pastoral and advocacy work
throughout the Philippines.
Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) is a coalition of mining-affected communities and their support groups,
including non-governmental organizations, faith-based groups, academic institutions, and other
groups collectively challenging the promotion of destructive large-scale mining in the Philippines.
ATM works to protect Filipino communities and natural resources that are threatened by large-scale
mining operations. Human rights are a central basis for ATM's work, particularly in defending
community and individual rights. The alliance aims to shift the policy framework on extracting
minerals in the Philippines, from simply "extracting and profiting from mining minerals" to "mineral
management towards national industrialization". ATM also believes this shift will drive local
sustainable development, promote resilient communities and facilitate national industrialization.
LILAK (Purple Action for Indigenous Women’s Rights) is a collective of women’s rights advocates
and feminists in the Philippines, who aim to contribute in the building and raising awareness and
understanding of rural and indigenous women on their rights, their roles, and their potential. Their
activities include: formation and deepening of analysis of rural and indigenous women’s situation
and factors affecting it, development and advancement of women’s skills in protecting their rights.
This shadow report highlights key concerns related to the human rights of women as stipulated in the
United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (UN
CEDAW). The data and information included in the present submission come from various sources,
and include research, information and data collection from FI, LILAK, ATM, FSM JPIC and their
partners in the Philippines. The document focuses mainly on the issue related to the impact of
natural resources exploitation, specifically large-scale mining, on human rights especially those
of the indigenous women.
Context: Indigenous Women and Mining in the Philippines
The mining industry has led to an increased displacement of indigenous communities and various human
rights violations. In 2002 the UN Special Rapporteur for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of
indigenous peoples, after his visit to the Philippines, highlighted this point: “Of particular concern are the
long-term devastating effects of mining operations on the livelihood of indigenous peoples and their
environment. These activities are often carried out without their prior, free, informed consent, as the law
stipulates”1 However, with patriarchy very much embedded in a post-colonial society of the Philippines, it is
1
E/CN.4/2003/90/Add.3, Mission to the Philippines, p.2
2