By Klarizze Dela Pena
We have set rights and principles from the day we were born up to our death. Human rights, as we know them, are our legal, social, and moral rights to freedom. They serve as our protection and our privilege. Human rights are used in different ways: the right to speak, the right to vote, the right to work, the right to food, and the right to live. Everyone is entitled to their rights, free from discrimination.
But violation of these rights is not uncommon. In a world filled with so-called “leaders” who get inspired by the number of zeros in their bank accounts, anyone would do anything for power— even at the cost of others. There have been many cases of officials seizing human rights for the sake of bigotry.
Martial law was a series of military control across the Philippines. Implemented by former President Ferdinand Marcos in 1972, Martial law was set to “save the republic and reform society”. Recent protests have taken place in the Philippines and abroad commemorating 50 years since the regulation was enforced in September of 1972. Thousands were killed while tens of thousands were tortured during Martial law according to Amnesty International. In 1986, the People Power Revolution (PPR) began— in which millions of Filipino citizens rallied along the Epifanio de Los Santos Avenue (EDSA) to end Marcos’ dictatorship.
Now on its 50th anniversary, the Filipino people are free to embark on the many rights they have, comfortably exercise the rights of free speech on social media, and rightfully criticize the injustices they face in modern settings without grueling circumstances— the same rights that were deprived of the many victims of the martial law.
There have been several cases of activists speaking up about the invalidation of the rights they hold. Another example besides the PPR was the Women’s Suffrage Movement— almost a century-long fight for women by women.
Women’s suffrage was sanctioned in 1920, giving women the freedom to vote in elections. The protests started in 1848 and ended in 1920 after decades of fighting from all generations of women.
In her article Leaving all to younger hands, Dr. Susan Ware writes, “The campaign to win passage of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote stands as one of the most significant and wide-ranging moments of political mobilization in all of American history.”
In 2022, the world took a step back by overturning Roe v. Wade, limiting women’s rights to abortion. This caused a major uproar from women all across the globe. People started questioning the Supreme Court, disapproving of their decisions— while some rejoice in the new rule, sharing the same beliefs as the judges.
And even if not by law, there have been several accounts of people who have had their rights oppressed by the environment they reside. This includes the thousands of OFWs and overseas workers being maltreated and abused by their handlers— even having their passports seized, and preventing them from any chance of getting help.
“Nearly 5,000 cases of maltreatment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were recorded in 2020, data presented during a Senate Labor Committee hearing on Monday showed,” said Christia Marie Ramos, a reporter for INQUIRER.net.
We all have set rights and principles from the day we were born up to our death. If there is one thing certain in regards to the ever-cycle of the violation of our rights, it is that every struggle against oppression ends with justice prevailing.
Regardless of the lives lost, abuse of power or human vs human— our future is bright as long as we never forget and always remember that we all have the power.