Manila: The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is advocating for comprehensive reparations, official recognition, and a formal apology for the "Malaya Lolas," Filipina survivors of wartime sexual slavery during the Japanese occupation in World War II. The CHR emphasizes that providing justice to these aging survivors is an "urgent human rights obligation" that the Philippine government must address.
According to Philippines News Agency, in a Gender Ombud Policy Advisory released, the CHR highlighted the need for a comprehensive, rights-based reparations framework to restore the dignity of the survivors. This follows the March 2023 views issued by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which found that the Philippines failed to adequately address the discrimination and suffering endured by the survivors.
"Reparations are not merely a form of humanitarian assistance but a human rights obligation grounded in international law and the Philippines' commitments under CEDAW," the CHR stated. Acting as the country's Gender and Development Ombud under the Magna Carta of Women, the commission underscored the necessity for a framework that acknowledges the survivors' rights.
The CEDAW Committee earlier recommended establishing a nationwide reparations program, preserving historical memory sites like the "Bahay na Pula" in Pampanga, and integrating the survivors' history into the national educational curriculum. While the CHR welcomed government initiatives including the creation of an inter-agency technical working group and the issuance of Joint Memorandum Circular 2025-1 for humanitarian aid, it stressed that these steps must lead to permanent legislative action.
The CHR specifically called for enacting a state-sanctioned reparations scheme and providing sustained medical and psychosocial support for the remaining survivors, most of whom are now elderly. "The commission reiterates its readiness to assist the government and relevant stakeholders in crafting policies and mechanisms that will fully implement the CEDAW Committee's recommendations and ensure that the Malaya Lolas receive the justice, recognition, and dignity they deserve," the CHR added.
The Malaya Lolas, victims of institutionalized sexual slavery by the Japanese military, have long sought official recognition and compensation for the atrocities they suffered. Their quest for justice began after the attack on Mapaniqui, Pampanga on November 23, 1944, where survivors were subjected to systemic sexual slavery at the "Bahay na Pula." This led to the group's formal organization in 1997 to demand an official apology and reparations.
Despite significant legal setbacks, including the dismissal of their petitions by the Philippine Supreme Court in 2010 and 2014, the survivors elevated their case to the United Nations CEDAW Committee in 2019. This resulted in a landmark March 2023 ruling that found the Philippine government in violation of its human rights obligations, prompting the formation of a technical working group and the release of humanitarian aid in 2024.
However, the CHR emphasized that the mission remains unfinished, calling for a transition from temporary assistance to a permanent, state-sanctioned reparations framework to provide the aging survivors with the full redress and dignity they have sought for over 80 years.
