For the past 20 years, HLAF’s advocacies have progressively grown to the wider needs in promoting the better quality of access to justice to the least, especially in promoting their rights, welfare, and well-being.
HLAF, as a developmental legal organization seeks to promote policies and laws which will promote justice and which shall tilt the balance of justice to those who are marginalized.
HLAF also pursue to work for the passage of laws and changes in the system that will respect, protect the right of persons in detention especially of women and children
How it started
During the 51st commemoration of International Human Rights Day on 10 December 2001, the Humanitarian Legal Assistance Foundation, with the help of Filipino human rights lawyers, was established in response to the worsening phenomenon of inhumane and unjust detention, aggravated by sub-human conditions in jails not only in the Philippines but in other parts of the globe as well.
Following HLAF’s founder Master Choa Kok Sui’s (MCKS) great Vision and Mission, HLAF is dedicated to conducting activities that will help in the speedy release of Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) all over the Philippines. HLAF started when MCKS saw the needy situation of PDLs in cramped cells, congested areas, and their health condition in Philippine jails.
HLAF only started as a jail decongestion team that provides activities to faster cases of PDLs incarcerated way longer than the imposable offense with which they are charged, wrongfully accused and jailed persons, and those sufferings from any form of inhumane and unjust detention.
HLAF’s vision aspires to help create a world order founded on the universal respect for human rights and freedom against arbitrary and unjust imprisonment, in all forms.
HLAF was registered in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2001.
After 10 years, HLAF has grown to advocate and work for the proper implementation of child protection laws like the juvenile justice and welfare act and endeavors to prevent child abuse in the community to create a conducive environment in the community for children to develop their full potentials.
HLAF’s specialization is to capacitate duty bearers, especially the local government officials and workers, as well as different community volunteers to support the proper implementation of the law protecting children.
HLAF is also the only organization that works for the promotion of the welfare and well-being of former PDLs.
How are we doing it
HLAF is mainly supported by the MCKS Charitable Institution and by generous individuals that follow the founder’s mission. Moreover, it is not new that HLAF, as a non-government, non-profit organization has also external support and funding for its programs and advocacies. Such help comes from other local and international non-government organizations, local and international government institutions, and other offices that greatly see HLAF as an opportunity to assist the most vulnerable groups.
Currently, HLAF is in partnership with the American Bar Association – Rule of Law Initiative, Consuelo Foundation, and an upcoming UNICEF project involvement.
HLAF would also not become as efficient as it is now without the help of its scholars, interns, and volunteers. For the past twenty years, HLAF has already grown to a counting thousand number of these individuals. Coming from diverse and multi-disciplinary backgrounds such as law, social work, community development, development communication, psychology, development studies, legal management, political science, multimedia arts, animation, business management, entrepreneurship, and even high-school students.
These people only show that HLAF’s mission to put an end to the phenomenon of unjust and inhuman detention, especially of women and children, wherever it is found, through direct legal action and policy advocacy is being seen not only by the communities HLAF directly help, but as well as the communities and people around it.
Ways we help
Currently, HLAF has three (3) programs namely: Jail Decongestion, Center for Restorative Action, and the Focused Reintegration of Ex-Detainees.
The Jail Decongestion (JD) is HLAF’s flagship program which aims to decongest jails by focusing on the perspective, attitudes, and knowledge of duty-bearers and the community. Over the years, the JD program has evolved from a traditional lawyering project into an alternative lawyering program aimed to decongest jails by focusing on the perspectives, attitudes, and knowledge of duty-bearers and the community.
Today, the JD program focuses on upholding human rights in jail facilities by capacitating both PDLs and duty bearers on the rights of detainees during detention. The program also handles Law Students Internship Program, where they are given a chance to immerse themselves with PDLs and jails and be nurtured with alternative lawyering and legal practice.
HLAF’s partnership with law schools created an added path for student’s knowledge expansion on alternative lawyering and legal practice. Most of the interns helped in case follow-ups and consultations, as well as provide seminars and training that ensures the well-being of both PDLs and jail officers.
Since the progression of HLAF’s activities, the program also helped in establishing the Task Force Katarungan at Kalayaan (TFKK) which aims to timely dispose of cases by reviewing these through a set of criteria. Since then, it has significantly contributed to the resolution of cases of PDLs.
HLAF’s trailblazing Center for Restorative Action (CRA) program addresses the lack of training centers and trainers on restorative justice and juvenile justice to empower communities to live out Restorative Justice, values of Accountability, Peace, Dignity, Respect, and healing in their conflict management program.
Since CRA’s establishment, it has proven that the Philippine Juvenile Justice and Welfare System is implementable in the Barangays (local communities). HLAF continues to provide LGUs, law enforcement officers, social workers, legal practitioners, children’s rights workers, volunteers, and other stakeholders with innovative and leading methodologies in handling Child-At-Risk (CAR) and Children-in-Conflict-with-the-law (CICL) cases.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, CRA transformed community organizing and proved that it is possible to organize communities, even online.
Over the years, CRA has organized and facilitated training workshops for duty bearers and stakeholders to capacitate them in areas beneficial to children, especially the CICL. This includes training workshops for the councils on the barangay and city-level, law enforcers, and other duty-bearer. CRA’s continuous mentoring sessions with our partners and beneficiaries made effective processes and solutions to discuss issues concerning children involved in illicit drugs.
Just as importantly, HLAF’s Focused Reintegration of Ex-Detainees (FRED) program was established to address the lack of a reintegration program for newly released PDLs to heal the lives of PDLs in need of a second chance. The program’s goal is to rightfully reintegrate PDLs into their communities and create a safe space to reduce the stigma against PDLs.
It was organized when HLAF saw that it needed to address a very glaring gap in the Philippine criminal justice system: the fate of PDLs after being released since there is still no law today that implements for the promotion of the rights and welfare of former PDLs.
While FRED addresses the individual needs of the former PDLs by restoring their psychological, emotional, and spiritual needs in the context of his/her family, it also capacitates the community to be responsive to the needs of former PDLs as part of the vulnerable group.
The FRED program is taking advanced steps in coordinating and making local government units realize that PDLs and Former PDLs lives are vital, in which they would spearhead the establishment of the FRED management committee that would give PDLs and former ones more access to their reintegration into the community.
Through formation sessions, PDLs are equipped with essential skills when they undergo their reintegration into the community. Graduates of the FRED program can attest that they can now control what track in life they wanted to venture and gave their commitment to a life away from the reason they’re jails.
The FRED program also added family days for PDLs which are conducted to close the gap between the things unsaid by the PDLs and former PDLs on the words they like to say. HLAF acknowledges the importance of Family support in making former PDLs more comfortable to change and be eager to improve themselves.
With all things said, it is only a pre-requisite to acknowledge the never-ending commitment of the staff and MCKS’ guidance.
20 years is just the beginning of HLAF’s dreams to promote every person’s rights. It’s just visually progressing.
