The local office of the Commission on Human Rights is in an unenviable position right now.
Its investigation into 13 drug-related killings in Negros Oriental has hit a blank wall due to what Dr. Jesus Canete, special investigator and one-man CHR office in the Province, describes as the “indifferent mentality” of the public.
Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.
That seems to be the mantra of an overwhelming majority of the people, especially those who have been witness to a killing, and more specifically, when victims are linked to illegal drugs.
Public apathy has become the norm, and unfortunately, this is not just the scenario in Negros Oriental–it’s the same across the country.
Even families of the victims are often muted by fear, or by the stigma of having a drug addict in their family that they would rather forget about such killings.
As they say, a drug user is not a criminal but a victim. Drugs have a way of making monsters of its victims. For many social scientists, the drug problem the country is faced with right now is more often than not a symptom of a much bigger problem – the failure of family.
Perhaps these kids no longer have a family to protect them nor provide for their needs.
Stand up for the rights of others. This is the theme of this year’s National Human Rights Consciousness Week. It could be said that the failure of the CHR to prosecute for lack of witnesses is the failure of society to stand up for the rights of the victims to life.
This is tragic especially because we are about to celebrate Christmas. We celebrate life in the birth of the Christ child.
How to greet each other a “Merry Christmas” while failing to stand up for the rights of others is puzzling.
