Task Force Detainees of the Philippines

Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) believes that full realization of human rights can only be observed in a peaceful and just society.  Therefore TFDP believes that elimination of societal divide must be one of the objectives of each and every organization which aspires for a peaceful and just society.

TFDP sees that to be able to eradicate societal divide, dialogue is crucial and important.  In continuous dialogue and discussion of issues solutions can be obtained.  It is also important that every part of the societal divide must also understand the differences between them.

Mindanao is a very clear place where societal divide is evident.  It is either culturally or state sponsored divide.  There is a continuous intensification of internal conflict and comprehensive violations of human rights and the international humanitarian law, by the state and non-state entities in the island.  The said internal conflict has now displaced more than half-million civilians and the counter-insurgency deadline by the AFP-PNP in 2010 has already exacted a high toll of human rights violations on people’s lives.

It is in this context that TFDP views that a concrete dialogue and bonding must be developed in the island.

Having in mind that the young generation is the future of our society, the youth as a catalyst of change, TFDP believes that it is the best sector to start the dialogue. Through this young generation the older generations can be influenced to start among themselves the same dialogue.

An Inter-Faith Youth Camp was conducted by TFDP in Maramag, Bukidnon in the island of Mindanao last October 19 to 26, 2009 to start the dialogue and bonding among different cultures that exist in the island.  The said youth camp was be participated by twenty-six participants an it involved the youth from the Christian, Moro and Lumad communities. Its aim was to develop knowledge and skills for effective exchanges and dialogue among the participants. The topics discussed at the youth camp were the following:

Basic Course on Human Rights
Inputs on Islam and Human Rights
Inputs on Christianity and Human Rights
Inputs on Indigenous Peoples Traditions and Human Rights
Basic Theater Workshop
Basic Art Workshop
Basic Writers Workshop
Basic Video/Photography Workshop

At the end of the workshops, the participants’ underwent advance workshops on Arts, Writing and Video/Photography training.

The advanced art workshop was a whole day activity with participants from the inter-faith youth camp.  Using their skills and their learning during the basic course on human rights and basic art workshop, youth participants were asked to produce works of art using their preferred medium with the general theme of human rights and peace.

The advanced writers’ workshop had the following components: news writing, feature writing, and literary writing.  Selected outputs during the said workshop was compiled and packaged as a magazine/publication that will be released at the end of the term.

An expert on video and photography was asked to give participants a more in-depth training on how to use the participants’ skills on video-making and photography.  Participants were made to come up with their own portfolio of photos with peace and human rights as the general theme.

BACKGROUND / RATIONALE:

The understanding and grasp of young people about the meaning of human rights and its principles is relatively low. This is mainly due to the lack of programs regarding human rights education. Because of this many of our nation’s youth grow up with a lack of understanding about the rights that they as individuals are entitled to and which the state has the obligation to protect. In other words, without human rights education the people will not have the capacity to assert their rights in the face of the State’s failure to its obligation to respect, protect, and fulfill these rights.

As a response to this situation, Youth for Rights (Y4R) was organized by Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP), a mission partner of the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP). It is a network of student leaders, individuals, and youth organizations that seek to popularize human rights principles embodied in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and train them with the necessary skills that would help them to assert and defend their rights.

Youth for Rights (Y4R) as TFDP’s newest project was conceptualized upon the idea that as leaders of tomorrow, today’s youth must be made aware of human rights through education and skills development.

Based on this, TFDP sees Y4R primarily as a network that will help to provide easy-to-understand human rights education to adults and children so they are able to grasp what fundamental human rights are as aligned with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and to effectively combat violations of human rights.