children feel depressed, lonely and despair, which can trigger the urge to use drugs (American Civil Liberties Union; Break the Chains; Communities of Color and the War on Drugs; The Brennan Center). Children who were directly involved with drugs were also imprisoned, such as the case of “Mario” in Indonesia (Fransiska, Larasati, & Gunawan, 2011). “In the supply chain of illicit drugs, women and girls are usually minor links, but they suffer a disproportionate burden in the application of criminal law” (Rychkova, 2015). The lack of “insider information” of women more likely leads to heavier sentences because they cannot “plea-bargain or make deals with the prosecutors” compared to accused men (Drug Policy Alliance, 2015). Pregnant women of color often refused to get prenatal care for fear of being discovered, in the process, the health of babies are at-risk. In Mexico, the lack of regard to the right to health of drug dependence was manifested through the absence of regulation in drug rehabilitation facilities (Barra & Joloy, 2011). Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as congenital syphillis and Penicillin-resistant gonorrhea among women increases, especially those who “exchange sex for crack cocaine” (Reagan, September 1991). Not only the reproductive health of women is in danger, their economic rights are being violated. In the US, “one of the most visible aspects of the drug war strategy is the policing of public housing projects and other subsidized housing units (Reagan, September 1991). Tenants were evicted out of their housing unit even without evidence of drug abuse. In such cases, it was mostly the mothers and the grandmothers who were threatened with termination, even though they were not the ones using illegal drugs in the household. The threat of being a homeless adds up to the burden these women were carrying, which is caring for a drug-addicted family member. Poppy crop eradication in Afghanistan has resulted to worst economic consequences. The children of these farmers failed to enter school, worst, women and girls were used to pay the debts of the farmers, also referred to as “opium bride” (Ahmadzau & Kuonqui, 2011). Sexual and physical violence against women is widespread in prisons, including those committed by correctional officers(American Civil Liberties Union; Break the Chains; Communities of Color and the War on Drugs; The Brennan Center). On several occasions, the people tasked to protect the people were the ones violating their rights. For instance, four members of the Oakland Housing Authority’s special task force in California were charged with “theft, assault, battery and false arrest… their actions included clubbing an unresisting woman over the head with a flashlight, assaulting others who did not even live on the housing authority premises, and planting evidence on others to implicate them in drug activity” (Reagan, September 1991). Global experiences have shown that while women and children have minor roles in the grand scheme of drug trafficking, they take the heaviest burden when governments decide to wage a war against drugs Panaghoy: The Philippine War on Drugs from the Perspective of Women March 2019 8