Filipino senator Leila M. de Lima introduced to the Filipino Senate a proposal for an Act to Promote and Protect the Rights of Human Rights Defenders for the first time in the history of the country in 2018.
The draft law starts by expressing the responsibility of the State to guarantee full respect for human rights and the commitment of the State to create an enabling environment “to encourage women and individuals with diverse sexual orientation to pursue work on human rights”. It contains a definition of the terms human rights, human rights defender and human rights work. Moreover, it lays out a set of rights and freedoms of HRDs, which include the right to participate in public affairs and the freedom from intimidation or reprisal, and of obligations of the State to protect HRDs. Nonetheless, it does not foresee the creation of any mechanism for the protection of HRDs in the country.
The content of this draft law aligns almost completely with the UN Declaration on HRDs. The draft law still waits for the Senate’s approval in order to be turned into law.
Find the original publication here in English.
