Human rights, human wrongs: torture prevention, documentation and prosecution in the Philippines

This article presents an overview of the challenges faced by human rights organizations and survivors of torture in seeking justice despite the availability of an anti-torture law in the Philippines. Several legal, political, and security-related impediments are cited here to raise the challenge to state agencies to undertake steps to break the culture of impunity in the country by making the anti-torture law an effective remedy to prevent torture and for the victims to obtain redress. This paper draws lessons and recommendations form the insights generated by the authors in the course of their participation in the IRCT-led FEAT project.