CAHRE is a human rights organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the rights of marginalized and vulnerable communities in the Philippines. Its founders and members have been at the forefront of the human rights struggle in the Philippines since the time of Marcos’ martial law regime.
Founded in 2010, CAHRE emerged in response to the mass displacement and humanitarian crisis in Central Mindanao following the Supreme Court’s nullification of the 2008 Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD).
Our Mission and Core Values
CAHRE envisions a society where human rights are respected, protected and promoted for all, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable communities. We strive for a world where equality, justice and dignity are the foundation of all human interactions, and where everyone can live with freedom, peace and prosperity.
We work to:
- Empower communities to claim their rights and assert their dignity.
- Provide training and capacity-building programs that equip marginalized groups with the knowledge and skills to understand, claim and defend their rights.
- Foster local leadership and support the development of community advocates who can represent their peers and drive change from within.
- Create safe spaces for dialogue and collective action, enabling communities to articulate their needs and challenge systemic barriers with confidence.
- Strengthen legal literacy and access to justice, ensuring communities can navigate systems and hold duty-bearers accountable.
- Advocate for policy changes that promote human rights and equality.
- Conduct rigorous research and documentation to provide evidence-based recommendations for legislative and policy reforms at local, national and international levels.
- Engage directly with policymakers, government institutions, and legislative bodies to push for the adoption and implementation of human rights-center laws and policies.
- Campaign for the repeal or amendment of discriminatory laws and practices that perpetuate inequality and violate the rights of marginalized communities.
- Establish monitoring mechanisms to ensure policy commitments that translate into tangible improvements in people’s lives and to hold governments accountable.
- Support grassroots movements and community-based initiatives that promote human rights and social justice
- Provide technical assistance, training, and resources to strengthen the organizational capacity and sustainability of community-based initiatives.
- Facilitate networking and solidarity building among grassroots groups, creating platforms for shared learning, joint advocacy and collective impact.
- Amplify the voices of grassroots movements by providing platforms for their stories and demands to reach broader audiences and influence decision-makers
- Offer financial and logistical support to community-led projects that address local human rights challenges and promote social justice.
- Educate and mobilize the public on human rights issues and promote a culture of human rights:
- Develop and deliver educational programs, workshops and training sessions for diverse audiences, including schools, universities, civil society and community groups
- Launch public awareness campaigns that highlight pressing human rights issues, challenge harmful narratives, and inspire civic engagement.
- Utilize traditional and digital media to disseminate human rights information, share stories from affected communities and mobilize broad-based support for change
- Engage youth as agents of change, integrating human rights education into curricula and supporting student-led initiatives that foster a lifelong commitment to justice and equality