Center’s Work Promoting Gender Equality Recognized in the Philippines
The Philippine Commission on Human Rights awards the Center as a valuable partner.
The Center for Reproductive Rights was recognized on 31 March 2022 by the Philippine Commission on Human Rights as one of its valuable partners in promoting gender equality in the country. The Center received the “Gender Ombud Kakampi Award” (“kakampi” means ally or partner) along with 19 other national-level non-governmental organization award recipients.
The Center was specifically recognized for its role in the Commission’s first national inquiry on sexual and reproductive health and rights, a follow-up to the special inquiry by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, and in countering abortion stigma.
“It is an honor for the Center to be recognized as an ally of the Philippines’ national human rights institution,” said Jihan Jacob, the Center’s Senior Legal Adviser for Asia. “This is a testament to our impactful work in the country, a recognition of our role as a human rights defender, and a demonstration of the strong relationship that we have built with the Commission.”
In the last six years, the Commission on Human Rights as Gender Ombud, under the Magna Carta of Women, has been serving its mandates in advocating and promoting women’s human rights and gender equality; providing legal and other forms of protection services in cases of discrimination and violence against women, girls and LGBTQIA; and monitoring the State’s compliance with its treaty obligations on protecting women’s human rights and in advancing gender equality.
To fulfill its mandate as Gender Ombud, the Commission partners with government agencies, civil society organizations (CSOs), individuals, their regional offices, and women and human rights advocates. This year, in celebration of Women’s Month, the Commission held a night to recognize its Gender Ombud partners during its term as the 5th Commission.
“We are proud to work alongside the Philippine Commission on Human Rights as it fulfills its mandate to protect and promote gender equality and demonstrates its strong commitment to advancing human rights in the midst of the challenges it has faced in recent years. Together with our local partners, we look forward to continuing working with the incoming 6th Commission to build, enforce, and defend reproductive rights in the country,” added Jacob.
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