Bangsamoro women leaders beef up justice agenda

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), various government agencies, civil society, academe, international development organizations, and Bangsamoro women leaders continue proactive approaches to the development of the women empowerment and gender sensitive policies.

During a two-day conference to promote gender-sensitive transitional justice agenda in Makati last week, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza expressed the importance of acknowledging women victims of armed-conflict through transitional justice as way of putting back their dignities damaged by such situation.

“Every time I go to Marawi to talk to the internally displaced persons, I tell them: Hindi madaling hilumin yung sugat sa nadaanan ninyo kung hindi ninyo muna ilalabas. Kasi kung ikimkim ninyo ‘yan sa loob, walang mangyayari,” Dureza said.

Likewise, Opapp Director Pamela Ann Padilla-Salvan spoke of sustainable peace through healing and justice.

“Transitional justice is not just about the mere passing, transition or movement of time. It is about connecting the historical past to the transforming present that would create a shared future. It is about remembering, and taking lessons from the past that will be useful in the future,” Salvan added.

Furthermore, the Bangsamoro women leaders called for the establishment of a National Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission on the Bangsamoro and include them it its decision-making posts.

Dureza addressed this through entering a partnership between the Bangsamoro women and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process to craft an Executive Order, to be presented to President Rodrigo Duterte.

“There are a lot of things that can be done together. Kami sa Opapp, we’re committed to do whatever we can. Maybe we can already start crafting an EO for the NTJRCB and distribute it amongst yourselves before we can present that to the President. Trabaho tayo together ha. Huwag niyong asahan na Opapp lang ang gagawa,” Dureza stated.

The Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, under the Normalization Annex, included a provision on transitional justice, which is a critical component to strengthen the rule of law in a post-conflict setting and an integral element to peacebuilding as it aims to redress for past human rights violations.

For the Bangsamoro women, it is imperative that women’s right to access truth, justice, and reparations is recognized as part of achieving and sustaining peace and ensuring accountability for crimes committed in times of conflict against women and girls. (Teng Datu)