A TOTAL of 539 family members of alleged victims of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs will participate in his trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC), with 70 percent of them women and 99 percent from urban poor communities.
Their participation aims to show how the deaths of their relatives left surviving family members struggling with grief, poverty, disrupted education, damaged homes and continuing fear, according to a trial brief filed by their common legal representatives on Oct. 13.
The 108-page brief describes the harm reported by the participating victims and their families, including the loss of household breadwinners, psychological distress, financial hardship and the disruption of children’s education.
At least 143 of the 539 participants, or 27 percent, were children when the relevant incidents occurred, while 89, or 17 percent, are currently children, the brief said.
At least 57 children reportedly stopped attending school for at least a year after a family member was killed.
The brief said that among the family members identified in the accounts, 248 were male and 14 were female relatives reportedly killed or subjected to attempted killings. It also identified 239 adults and 24 children among those relatives.
At least 190 of the family members reportedly killed or subjected to attempted killings were breadwinners, according to the representatives. Some earned as little as P100 a day when they had work.
The loss of income left some households struggling to meet basic needs and cover funeral and legal expenses. Some families went into debt, while some children reportedly left school to work and help support their households.
The brief also detailed the psychological effects reported by the participating victims. All 539 reported psychological harm, including anguish, anxiety, anger, sadness, fear, helplessness and social isolation.
At least 19 participants reported physical injuries, while 322 reported other forms of harm and 91 reported the loss of or damage to property.
Some families reported damage to household structures and belongings, while others reported missing cash, phones, jewelry and other possessions, including items that may have been used to earn a living.
The representatives also described the effects on children who witnessed violence, lost relatives or faced bullying and humiliation because of their association with family members labelled as drug offenders.
At least 122 children were killed in the context of the anti-drug campaign between July 2016 and December 2019, according to a separate report cited in the brief. That figure is distinct from the 539 participating victims in the ICC proceedings.
The brief said that some families had difficulty obtaining police and investigative records concerning the deaths of their relatives. Incomplete or delayed records hindered efforts to establish what happened and pursue complaints.
Beyond documenting the harm, the participating victims seek truth, recognition of their suffering, preservation of the memories of their deceased relatives and accountability, the brief said. Their representatives also argued that accountability and institutional reform are necessary to help prevent similar abuses from recurring.
The filing presents the accounts and arguments of the victims’ representatives; it does not constitute a judicial finding that the allegations have been proven. The victims’ application forms describing their experiences and harm are being used at this stage to explain their circumstances and are not automatically evidence for the judges to rely on.
