- Women Working for Justice and Peace Network in the Cordillera (JaPNet) - October 25, 2024
Basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are considered to be entitled, often held to include the rights to life, liberty, equality, and fair trial, freedom from slavery and torture, and freedom of thought and expression are human rights which the state must uphold and protect.
These are based on principles of dignity, equality, and mutual respect. There can never be genuine peace and justice if these basic rights are violated. Gender-based discrimination, like unequal pay, lack of access to education, violence against women and LGBTQIA+ individuals, is also a violation of human rights and can deeply impact the lives and opportunities available to those affected. This context involve actions aimed at promoting and protecting human rights, raise awareness, influence policies, and create social change that ensures everyone has equal rights and opportunities.
For such advocacies, the seed to unite and address the issues confronting the different sectors especially the women were planted during the Regional Women Human Rights Summit in October 2019. After several meetings and delay caused by the global pandemic of Coved-19, a network was formed and formally launched in May 2021 to be called Women Working for Justice and Peace Network in the Cordillera (JaPNet) mainly to address the issues faced by the women in the Cordillera. JaPNet is a broad network comprising (women + LGBTQIA++) individuals and organizations united on the common concern for the respect for Human Rights and adhere to the general principles of justice and peace. Organizational administration is through a coordinating body of convenors representing 17 sectors from the Cordillera like the media, academe, youth, religious, NGOs and POs, urban poor, artist, senior citizens, PWDs, business, etc.
This network serves as a channel for building solidarity partnerships with and among women peace, justice and human rights advocates and women human rights defenders from the various sectors and communities in Metro-Baguio and the Cordillera. It is also a venue for information sharing and dissemination on pressing issues affecting women in the Philippines; to reach out to women victims/survivors of rights violations and their families and to provide them a venue to speak about their experiences and situation and to gather support for their current needs (moral, material, legal, psycho-social, temporary shelter, etc). As such we usually release timely declarations and manifestos to present positions on issues of human rights affecting women and the general public and hold or participate in activities relevant to such issues.
In the past years of the network, JaPNet has released several statements, manifestos, policy advocacy, led protest marches against the continued human rights violations and impunity, supported women human rights defenders, continued awareness raising and education through discussions, forums, dialogue and workshops, research and maximizing social media platforms, and supported the efforts of the different member organizations.
The collective effort of governments, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, communities and individuals is crucial to making lasting changes. Advocacy work requires persistence, adaptability, and a commitment to justice for all, regardless of gender, class, ethnicity, and socio-economic status. Let us unite and join hands in moving forward to eliminate all human rights violations in our communities.