Jeany “Rose” Hayahay with her fellow awardees. Photo courtesy of Front Line Defenders
“Hayahay’s work has made her a target of harassment and threats from the military. She has been red-tagged, had her home raided, and been subjected to online harassment. Despite the risks, Hayahay continues to speak out for the rights of children in Mindanao,” SOS Network said. “The human rights situation in the Philippines is dire. Killings, enforced disappearance and trumped-up charges along with ‘red tagging’ are rampant. The Lumads have been displaced from their ancestral lands, denied access to education and healthcare, and subjected to violence and intimidation. The Philippine Government has destroyed and forcibly shut down 216 indigenous community schools and disenfranchised 10,000 indigenous learners.
“But I will not be silenced, I will continue to stand and defend human rights along with other human rights defenders, even if this means living under threat of life, self-doubt, uncertain, unease and sacrifices,” she said.