The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is mandated by the government to investigate all forms of human rights violation in our country, whether civil or political in nature. It is headed by a Chairperson and four members; majority of the members must be lawyers.
The CHR was created under the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines.
But what exactly does the CHR do and when do we seek their assistance? How different is their role from that of a police who responds during crimes and other types of emergencies?
We are sharing the following information from the CHR Facebook page to help us understand and appreciate the role of the CHR. This should also help us determine whether a violation is considered against human rights, or if it should already be considered a crime.
| ABUSER | HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION | CRIME | WHERE TO FILE YOUR COMPLAIN |
| 1. If the abuser is art of the government such as the Police, Military, Trial Courts, and other similar branches of the government. |
YES |
NO |
CHR |
| 2. If the abuser is a private individual or civilian who raped, murdered, robbed, and other similar acts. | NO |
YES |
Police |
| 3. Government offices, elected officials, employed staff, abusing their position and violating the International Humanitarian Law (IHL), committing crimes against humanity. |
YES |
YES |
Police and CHR |
| 4. Non-state actors or armed groups during armed conflicts or wars |
YES |
YES |
Police and CHR |
| If the victim is a woman, a child, a member of the LGBTQIA, a senior citizen, or a member of the vulnerable sector (marginalized, disadvantaged) |
YES |
YES |
Police and CHR |
| If a government agency’s act (or failed to act on) resulted to the violation of an individual’s human rights, it is considered a crime and human rights’ violation. |
YES |
YES |
Police and CHR |
Notice that in all of the cases mentioned above, the CHR must always be involved. It is best that you and your family are made familiar with the address and contact information of the CHR in your area.
You may visit the CHR’s website at http://198.23.173.74/chr/
Source: https://www.facebook.com/chrgovph/
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