The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) pressed the Philippine government to provide full reparations, official recognition, and a formal apology to the “Malaya Lolas,” Filipina survivors of wartime sexual slavery during the Japanese occupation in World War II.
In a Gender Ombud Policy Advisory released Tuesday, the commission said justice for the aging survivors remains an “urgent human rights obligation” the state must fulfill.
The call follows a March 2023 ruling by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which found the Philippines failed to adequately address the survivors’ suffering and discrimination.
“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 said.
Acting as the country’s Gender and Development Ombud under the Magna Carta of Women, the commission urged the adoption of a comprehensive, rights-based reparations framework to restore their dignity.
The CEDAW Committee recommended establishing a nationwide reparations program, preserving historical memory sites such as the “Bahay na Pula” in Pampanga, and integrating the survivors’ history into the national educational curriculum.
The CHR acknowledged recent government steps, including the creation of an inter-agency technical working group and the issuance of Joint Memorandum Circular 2025-1 for humanitarian assistance, but said these must lead to permanent legislative action.
It called for a state-sanctioned reparations scheme and sustained medical and psychosocial support for the remaining survivors, most of whom are now in advanced age.
“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 are among women subjected to institutionalized sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II and have sought official recognition and compensation for decades.
Their campaign traces back to the Nov. 23, 1944, attack on Mapaniqui, Pampanga, where survivors were subjected to systematic sexual violence at the “Bahay na Pula.” The group organized in 1997 to pursue an official apology and reparations.
Their legal efforts suffered setbacks when the Philippine Supreme Court dismissed their petitions in 2010 and 2014, prompting them to bring their case to the CEDAW Committee in 2019.
In its March 2023 ruling, the committee found the Philippine government in violation of its human rights obligations, prompting the formation of a state-led technical working group and the release of humanitarian assistance in 2024.
However, the CHR said the government’s response remains incomplete, urging a shift from temporary aid to a permanent, state-sanctioned reparations framework that delivers full redress and restores dignity to women who have waited more than 80 years for justice. – with reports from Philippine News Agency
