Ensuring safer and inclusive schools for LGBTI students in the Philippines
24 August 2016
In an effort to make Filipino schools safer and more inclusive for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) students, a national consultation on SOGIE-based bullying in education settings was organized on 23–24 August 2016 in Quezon City.
The ‘National Consultation on SOGIE-based Bullying in the Philippines Education Setting’ was convened by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in collaboration with the Civil Society Coalition on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CSC-CRC), Department of Education (DepEd), ASEAN SOGIE Caucus and TLF SHARE.
Over 80 participants attended, with representation from the DepEd, civil society organizations working on child rights and child protection, LGBTI community groups, and various public and private academic institutions.
Undersecretary Albert Muyot of DepEd formally welcomed participants and expressed his delight that so many key players had come together to stop bullying in education settings. He recognized that SOGIE-based bullying is a human rights concern that can be anchored in the broader child protection policy of DepEd and aligned with the implementation of the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013. He also underscored the need to engage and involve not only the central office of DepEd but also their sub-national offices which are at the forefront of addressing bullying.
The consultation was organized to deepen understanding on SOGIE-based bullying in education settings and to firmly situate it as an important child rights concern. It presented the current situation, existing laws, policies and programs for addressing SOGIE-based bullying in schools and identified gaps and challenges as well as good practices and lessons learned in responding to this issue.
Edmund Settle, Policy Advisor of the HIV, Health, and Development Team of UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub, joined Undersecretary Muyot in welcoming the participants. Settle expressed his support and appreciation for the support from the DepEd and recognized that the Philippines has the opportunity to advance anti-bullying work as a result of the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013.
Expert resource persons provided insights into SOGIE-based bullying in education settings both in the Philippines and the Asian region.
Hunter Gray from UNESCO provided a regional overview of SOGIE-based bullying in Asia-Pacific; Kristel May Gomez-Magdaraog, a gender specialist, presented on the state of SOGIE-based bullying in education settings in the Philippines; Congresswoman Kaka Bag-ao discussed the Anti-Discrimination Bill pending in Congress for the past years; Undersecretary Albert Muyot of DepEd discussed the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 and Department Order 55 which provide the legal basis to safeguard school children from SOGIE-based discrimination and violence; and, Ging Cristobal of the Quezon City Pride Council presented the anti-discrimination ordinance of Quezon City.
Additionally, ChildFund Philippines, TLF SHARE Collective Inc., and Galang Philippines presented on their respective programmes and policies to address SOGIE-related bullying. Students who previously participated in a workshop on the rights of LGBT youth organized by the ASEAN SOGIE Caucus and CSC-CRC shared their personal stories of bullying in order to reflect the lived realities of LGBTI students.
This consultation aimed to promote greater dialogue on the issues of SOGIE-based bullying, discrimination and violence and facilitate stronger partnerships among key players to ensure safer and more inclusive schools for LGBTI students in the Philippines.
The Call for Action on Homophobic and Transphobic Violence, issued at the end of a two-day International Ministerial Meeting on violence based on SOGIE at UNESCO in Paris in May 2016 which the Philippine government signed, can serve as a useful advocacy tool to ensure schools are safe spaces.
