WELCOME TO THE MCCoP BLOGSPOT

Dear colleagues, friends and rights advocates,

The seven members of the Mindanao Convenor Against Corporal Punishment (MCCoP), namely: Tambayan Center, Kabataan Consortium, Bantay Bata 163, Adolescence Health Advocates, Gitib, Katilingban Alang sa Kalamboan, and the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines-SOCSARGEN are happy to announce their commitment to the proposed creation of a human rights (HR) body under the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). The creation of a HR body under this 10-nation conglomerate has been a dream of HR advocates in the region as incidence of human rights violations (HRVs)--especially on the poor, such as women, children and indigenous peoples continue as a bitter consequence of globalization and escalation of the so-called war on terror. Many international humanitarian laws, covenants and instrumentalities which are signed by almost all nations of the world that address various gaps in pursuing genuine social development could have been better implemented had the mechanisms for its establishment by regional organizations of nations like the ASEAN were in place.

The MCCoP, which has been formed to address the general issue of violence against children (VAC)-particularly on corporal punishment and to change mindsets of people in Mindanao towards positive discipline, believes that children and children's issues must be upheld and fully represented in the proposed ASEAN HR body. The convenor also hopes that States' commitments and obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) for the survival, protection, development and participation of children are properly accounted for and claimed by children through the said body.

In the past months saw a more serious discussion on the role of ASEAN on HR issue in the region and stakeholders' growing clamor for an effective mechanism or structure to address HRV under the association. NGOs like the MCCoP must take active role in this emerging opportunity for change at the ASEAN level and must therefore link each other in the spirit of mutual cooperation and trust.

This blogspot therefore hopes to serve two purposes, to wit: (1) to provide information-technology (IT) based venue for better exchange of ideas, updates of programs, projects and activities on the anti-corporal punishment campaign in Mindanao among MCCoP members and allied groups; and, (2) to provide IT facility for better sharing of ideas of HR groups, rights advocates, support groups, aid agencies and other stakeholders on the ASEAN-HR issue.

This blogspot is maintained by the External Affairs Committee (EAC) of the MCCoP which shall also serve as the focal point committee on ASEAN HR matter.

The MCCoP campaign is supported by Save the Children-Sweden.

Keep in touch (KIT) and happy blogging!


The Web Masters:

Emmmanuel Roldan
Chris Penales
Roldan Gonzales