Statement
September 26, 2025
Following the massive September 21st anti-corruption protests in the Philippines, human rights organizations including KARAPATAN and the National Union of People’s Lawyers have exposed the cruel treatment of children at the hands of the Philippine police. Human rights groups have reported the violent dispersal of protestors and community members nearby by police, who arrested over 200 individuals including over 90 children. Five days after the protests, multiple children still remain in detention.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) have beaten, dragged off, and separated children from their families. According to the National Union of People’s Lawyers, the PNP also denied adequate food and water and kept children in filthy holding areas. Some were left barefoot and received no proper medical care for injuries sustained during the protests and arrests. Families who tried to visit and provide basic necessities were turned away.
It was the people’s justified outrage at the mass corruption in the Philippines that resulted in the Sept 21 protests. The people deserve genuine accountability, and yet the police responded with violence and the severe deprivation of people’s rights, especially children’s rights. The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) along with the Foundation for Filipino Children call for the immediate release of the children, along with the others unjustly detained. We call on the international community to respond to the urgent need of the Filipino people and donate to ICHRP’s joint bail fund with KARAPATAN.
KARAPATAN, a national human rights alliance based in the Philippines, and ICHRP are collecting donations to provide urgent support for the bail, welfare and logistical needs of protestors arrested during the ongoing anti-corruption protests in the Philippines. All funds raised will go towards supporting these needs. Since the violent acts of the police against the protesters on September 21, KARAPATAN has been providing on-the-ground support to the arrested protestors and their families.
