sentiments on justice are also reflected in the women’s statements on the disproportionate targeting of the poor compared to the wealthy illegal drug users and big-time drug peddlers. The above themes show the levels on which women’s experience of the War on Drugs could be appreciated i.e., at the micro or individual level, at the community level and at the macro level, and each level can be regarded as a site of women’s and children’s struggle to fulfill their human rights, and for their empowerment. The role of the State as a duty bearer of human rights cannot be overemphasized in the context of the War on Drugs and EJK. The report notes that the State has the obligation under international human rights conventions to respect, protect and fulfill human rights. These obligations have often been cited in relation to the killings under the War on Drugs, however, as applied to the situation of women as they themselves have described, the discussion becomes richer. It broadens the identification human rights violations under the War not only the death itself and the events following shortly after, to include the aggravation of women and children’s marginalization on the basis of socio-economic class, (dis)ability, ethnicity and other identities. The experiences of marginalization narrated by the participants were clearly forms of human rights violations: limited access to social welfare services, including psychiatric services, when this is needed (protection of families14, right to an adequate standard of living,15 right to health16); dealing with the fear and trauma which affects their movement in public spaces (right to movement,17 right to security of person18), and in some cases, resulting to uprooting from their hometowns and livelihood (right to work19); ostracization and stigma in the community (right to participate in the cultural life of the community19); and being forced to decisions such as dropping out of school (right to education20), among others. These are also clearly violations of women’s rights because it affects women disproportionately.21 14 Article 10, IESCR Article 11, IESCR 16 Article 12, IESCR 17 Article 12, ICCPR 18 Article 6 (right to life) and 9 (right to liberty and security of person), ICCPR 19 Article 6, ICESR 19 Article 15, IESCR 20 Article 13, IESCR 21 General Recommendation No. 19 of the CEDAW Committee states: “The [Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women] in article 1 defines discrimination against women. The definition of discrimination includes gender-based violence, that is, violence that is directed against a woman because she is a woman or that affects women disproportionately….” [italics supplied] 15 Panaghoy: The Philippine War on Drugs from the Perspective of Women March 2019 59

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