One hundred fifteen for every 100 daysthis is the number of human rights violations in the Philippines involving women that have been recorded by the womens political activist group Gabriela-Philippines from January 2001 to March 2005.
Gabriela recently launched the initial findings of its documentation of human rights violations against women in the Philippines. According to the documentation, since the Arroyo administration sat in power in 2001, there have been 68 women victims of political killings, 35 of whom were women-activists, including leaders and members of GABRIELA and its network organisations. As with enforced disappearances which also involved women, military elements and/or paramilitary death squads and
vigilante groups were the primary suspects in almost all the cases.

The number of women activists and women leaders murdered with impunity makes the Philippines the top ranking hotspot as far as womens activism is concerned, Annalisa Enrile, Gabriela national chairperson, noted with concern.
FYI: Gabriela documentation findings

Some of the initial findings of Grabrielas documentation are as follows:

The biggest number of human rights violations against women involved harassments, threats, and intimidations; forced evacuations and displacements; and destruction and divestment of properties. Forced evacuations and displacements record the highest number of women victims.

There were almost 100 cases of strafing, indiscriminate firing, and aerial bombardment which victimized 72 women and affected 747 of them through the victimization of their families.

There were 150 women victims of unlawful, arbitrary, and unjustified arrest and detentions. Most of them were set free but not before intensive interrogations and sometimes, torture and sexual abuses.

Eighteen women underwent enforced disappearances or were abducted. Some were found by their families after days of camp-to-camp search. Others are still missing to this day.

Two women have been raped while in military detention, while 24 others were subjected to sexual abuse and harassment by members of either the military or police.
In addition, from January to May 2006 alone, eight women have been victims of political killings and 151 have been victims of enforced disappearances.

There has also been an increase in the number of forcible evacuations, bombings, military zonings, and military operations in rural areas. A large number of the victims in these human rights violations are women and children from Muslim communities in provinces and regions where intensified military operations are ongoing.

In the same time span, thirteen women were detained and are still in detention in various military and police centres. The youngest woman political detainee is an 18-year-old, while the eldest is a 60-year-old
woman who was arrested, ironically, on 8 MarchWomens Day 2005. She suffered sexual abuses and tortures in the hands of her military abductors. These two women have been arrested for rebellion.

In response to the findings of the Gabriela documentation, an all-women US-based mission consisting of lawyers came to the country to probe the countrys womens human rights situation. After hearing testimonies from victims, observing court proceedings, and studying legal documents and cases as part of the mission, the group found the Arroyo governments response to the situation as purely perfunctory, insignificant, and calculatedly confusing.

The lawyers add, It appears to be the Arroyo government's policy to criminalise dissent, including denying critics and opposition parties access to the legislative process. They promised to help focus
international attention on the Philippines to help stop the political killings and persecutions.

Sources:

All-Women Human Rights Legal Team to the Philippines. 31 May 2006 news release from GABRIELA Public Information Dept. downloaded 12 June 2006 from <http://www.gabnet.org/campaigns/humanrights/hrteamrelease05252006.html>

Gabriela Welcomes All-WOMEN U.S. Lawyers' Visit, Probe on Women's Human Rights Situation in the Philippines. 27 May 27 2006 news release from GABRIELA Public Information Dept. downloaded 12 June 2006 from <http://www.gabnet.org/campaigns/humanrights/hrteamgab05272006.html>

Seeking Answers: An All-Women US Lawyers Mission. May 2006 press statement by the GABRIELA Public Information Dept. downloaded 12 June 2006 from  <http://www.gabnet.org/campaigns/humanrights/hrteamstatement05312006.html>