(courtesy of UPA)
It is International Women's Day today, and it is disappointing to see the Philippines government's failure to uphold the legal rights of women, especially those who live below the poverty line.
"The people now sleep in the rubble. There is nowhere else to go. They ate together the night of the eviction, red eggs and noodles and rice from the parish. Children play on the back hoe and women cry quietly. Two weeks ago the women asked, “How can they beat us? We’re old enough to be their grandmothers?” They now ask, “How can they leave us homeless with our children?”
The non-profit organization Urban Poor Associates, mediated the conflict as it attempted to defended thousands of families from forced evictions and relocations. Their involvement is nothing short of heroic and something I aspire to reach someday.
The recent action of the Philippines government to ILLEGALLY evict thousands of poor people from their shanty homes without any form or relocation plan is beyond unjustified. All across the world, poverty stricken families are forced to succumb to the whims of their government. They are forced around like monopoly pieces for the sake of "urban development" and it is difficult to truly understand their struggles with life.
"Maybe because evictions are so common and the lives of the poor so alien to the better-off members of society, we have forgotten how huge a tragedy evictions are. It is traumatic for children to see men tear down their homes and to see their mothers knocked to the ground by water cannons...Women grieve as they see the homes, where they had their children, torn down as if they were junk. The men lose work days; there is more sickness requiring medicine. Distant relocation often means the loss of a job or separation from one’s family for long periods of time. They borrow money to see them through the hard times that is hard to repay. Poor women as well as well-off women feel their house is an extension of themselves—as a man feels his professional work is part of himself—so to see their houses torn down is extremely painful."
A home is a home. Whether held together by rubble or by tape. A home signifies a person's ability to provide, a person's connection to what is real and tangible in society. It is a means to sustain livelihood and a symbol of dignity. To see women, men, and children torn by such savagery is difficult to stomach. However, it is not uncommon here.
I realize how strong many Filipinos are, particularly the destitute ones. Struck by a multitude of financial, legal, medical, and personal problems, they continue to survive. Those affected by the demolition last week will most likely cry and mourn for their loss then pick up their things once again to start anew. Their strength is beyond me and it is because of them that I continue to be inspired.