Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship: An Exploration

Human Rights and Social Justice, Empowerment, Advocacy, and Participatory Development;

Gender Equality
 Table of Contents

Introduction 3
Key Terms 4
Discrimination 4
Human rights violations 4
Gender equality 4
Accountability 4
Equity 4
Inclusion 4
Diversity 5
Intersectionality 5
Participation 5
Empowerment 5
Community Goals 5
Community Action 5
Community Rights 5
Community Improvement 5
Community Communication / Teamwork 6
Sexuality Discrimination 6
Opportunities between Men and Women 6
Objectives 6
Topic Discussion 7
Application to Real Life 9
Social Justice and Human Rights 9
Participatory Development 10
Advocacy 10
Empowerment 10
Gender equality 10
Values Integration 11
Respect 11
Empathy 11
Solidarity 11
Holding the government accountable 11
Participation and Engagement 11
Belief and Unity 12
Become mindful of society 12

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 More intelligent choices 12
Summary and Conclusion 12
Bible Quotes 12
References 13
Rubrics 14

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 Introduction

Through their 2022 report, Human Rights Watch outlined the various human rights

violations in the Philippines during 2021. It covered the drug war, the killing of activists and

human rights defenders, and the state of the media’s freedom within the country.

On February 13, 2019, officers from the NBI cybercrime division arrested Maria

Ressa, the co-founder and CEO of the online news website Rappler. Several human rights

groups critique the arrest as an attack on press freedom. The arrest is one of the many

violations against freedom of media that Human Rights Watch has outlined within the

country.

The Philippines has a long way to go regarding promoting human rights and social

justice, so bringing awareness to the concept of human rights and how to promote it is an

important topic that should be discussed.

Key Terms

Discrimination

Discrimination is the unfair treatment of people based on characteristics such as

race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation.

Human rights violations

These are defined as any action depriving individuals or groups of their fundamental

human rights.

Gender equality

This is the principle of treating people of all genders fairly and equally.

Accountability

This is the obligation of governments and other actors to accept responsibility for

their actions and provide remedies for human rights violations.

Equity
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 The principle of treating individuals fairly, taking their unique circumstances and

needs into account, to address systemic inequalities.

Inclusion

The principle of creating spaces and systems that value and support diversity and

recognize and respond to the needs of marginalized groups.

Diversity

This refers to human differences such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation,

age, ability, and religion.

Intersectionality

The concept that various aspects of identity (such as race, gender, and

socioeconomic status) intersect and interact to produce unique experiences of oppression

and privilege.

Participation

Active participation of individuals or groups in decision-making processes that affect

their lives, frequently focusing on empowering marginalized communities.

Empowerment

This increases an individual's or a community's ability to direct their lives and make

decisions.

Community Goals

The community's goals describe the actions that the majority of people believe

should be accomplished.

Community Action

A wide range of actions are part of community action, which aims to establish social

movements and volunteer proposals.

Community Rights

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 A collection of skills known as community rights gives you more control over how

your community is developed.

Community Improvement

An approach wherein community involvement and reliance on local efforts generate

the conditions for social and economic success.

Community Communication / Teamwork

Seeks to strengthening relationships among those advocating change that will benefit

participants' communities' residents' quality of life and those they work with to make their

idea a reality.

Sexuality Discrimination

Discrimination on the basis of sexuality can be direct or indirect. Direct discrimination

is treating a person less favourably because of their sexuality than someone with a different

sexuality, in similar circumstances.

Opportunities between Men and Women

To further comprehend the disparities in opportunities and challenges faced by men

and women at work.

Objectives

 To understand how human rights, social justice, and participatory development are

interconnected.

 To develop practical skills to engage in advocacy, community organizing, or other

forms of social action to promote social justice.

 To comprehend the importance of human rights, social justice, and participatory

development in addressing inequality, discrimination, and poverty and their role in

promoting sustainable development.

 To share content and reach a larger audience.

 To encourage social change and advance equality.

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  To give people the resources they require to overcome their own challenges.

 To enhance the ability of communities to use their rights and voice.

 To offer women and men broadly equal opportunities and benefits.

 To raise awareness of the detrimental effects of gender norms and stereotypes

among the officials and societies.

Topic Discussion

The concept of human rights tells us that people are entitled to certain fundamental

freedoms and rights just by being alive. They are founded on the idea that everyone has an

equal right to respect, protection, and satisfy their essential needs.

Protecting and upholding human rights is practising the concept of social justice.

Social justice recognizes that inequalities can prevent people from accessing the necessary

services and tools to fulfil their human rights.

Social justice can be employed through participatory development. Participatory

development includes the people in the community at the decision-making level of

community policies and programs. Participatory development approaches prioritizing social

justice can promote more inclusive, sustainable development processes that benefit all

community members.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a significant turning point in

human rights history. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December

10, 1948, in response to the atrocities committed during World War II. It outlines a set of

fundamental human rights and freedoms inherent in all human beings, regardless of race,

gender, nationality, religion, or any other status. These include the right to life, liberty, and

personal security; freedom from slavery, torture, and arbitrary arrest or detention; the right to

a fair trial; freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; freedom of opinion and expression;

the right to work and education; and the right to participate in government and enjoy cultural

and scientific benefits.

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 Advocacy for social change utilizes knowledge to address the most pressing social

issues of the day or those that lead to injustice. This movement within your community and

you are the one who will implement it, to provide what you community needs. We mostly

focus on the mental health and feeding programs. This two is the primary problems and that

are need to be take action immediately, I believe that if we engage to the people as well we

can create a healthy community.

Consistent attempts to increase knowledge and comprehension of the

socioeconomic determinants of health should be a part of effective campaigning. It is

important to promote social determinant education in medical school, as well as professional

development in underserved areas.

Given the difficulties connecting the worlds of civil society, science, and policy,

advocacy organizations play a crucial role in promoting equitable health care.

Approaches to community empowerment have been shown to be effective methods for

resolving neighborhood health issues. A key concept in health promotion is community

empowerment, which may help communities set priorities, make decisions, design

strategies, and put those plans into action in order to enhance health and reduce health

inequities.

Community empowerment allows people to play an active role in the decisions that

impact their environment (CDX & Changes, 2008). Corresponding to Rappaport (1987),

empowerment is meant to enhance the options for people to control their own lives. Cochran

(1986) believes that individuals understand their own needs much better than other people

and, therefore should have the power both to define and act after them (John et al, 1993).

Community empowerment identifies the process of aiding neighborhoods to get

control over their lives. Neighborhoods consist of groupings of people posting common

pursuits, concerns or identities. Through empowerment, people are able to control the

factors and decisions that define their lives. By increasing their belongings and building their

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capacities, they can therefore broaden their networks. People cannot be empowered by

others as such, but by themselves (WHO, 2012)

Community empowerment includes involvement, involvement and commitment to the

society. It is only possible when people feel a sense of belonging to the city and it seeks

mostly at public and political changes. In another words, community empowerment is a way

of re-negotiating power to achieve more self-control (WHO, 2012).

Community empowerment includes the social, cultural, political and economical

aspects of culture. With the advent of globalization, activities at the local level heavily

influences actions at the global level. That is why partnerships are required to finding

collective solutions (WHO, 2012).

In order to attain vital societal goals like education, employment, and income, women

and men must have equal chances. Gender equality also refers to their ability to participate

fully in all facets of political, social, and cultural development.

This is a delicate subject that demands debate. Gender inequality causes daily

suffering for certain people, and we personally witness this as it becomes worse every day.

The target group is primarily women. These include the freedom from violence and

discrimination, the best possible level of bodily and mental health, the right to an education,

the right to own property, the right to vote, and the right to a living income.

People of all genders should have equal chances, rights, and responsibilities. Gender

inequality has an impact on everyone, including men, women, transgender and gender

nonconforming individuals, kids, and families. People of all ages and ethnicities are affected.

Violence against women and girls is avoided by gender equality. It is necessary for the

stability of the economy. Men and women are respected equally in societies that are safer

and healthier. One aspect of human rights is gender equality.

As long as gender equality is a goal, there will always be stereotypes about what kind

of job men and women are qualified to accomplish.

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 The Sustainable Development Goals offer the global health community a strategic

opportunity to promote human rights, advance gender equality, and achieve health for all.

The inability of the health sector to accelerate progress on a range of health outcomes

brings into sharp focus the substantial impact of gender inequalities and restrictive gender

norms on health risks and behaviors.

Application to Real Life

Social Justice and Human Rights

On June 15, 2020, Maria Ressa was found guilty of cyber libel, a conviction labelled

as it "basically kills freedom of speech and freedom of the press". Human Rights Watch,

Amnesty International, and Reporters Without Borders have slammed the ruling. Like Maria

Ressa, many journalists in the Philippines have had their freedom of expression suppressed

due to the government perceiving their articles as being against them. This is a human rights

violation that has not yet been resolved.

The Philippines recognizes the people's right to peaceful assembly, and it is a State

Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). This allows

individuals to petition the Human Rights Committee of the ICCPR if they believe that the

Philippines has violated their human rights.

Participatory Development

One example of a participatory development program in the Philippines is the

Bottom-Up Budgeting Program (BUB). It is one of the significant reforms of the Aquino

administration. It has empowered people by letting them voice their concerns to the

government and judge what projects are responsive to their needs, substantially reducing

poverty.

Advocacy

Developing your own program: Having a cause you've been passionate about

pursuing might give you a greater sense of meaning and commitment to your community.
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 Your acknowledgment will benefit those who need it: This can also inspire you and let

you know that many people are now reaping the rewards of your advocacy.

Empowerment

Influence the social and economic aspects to pursue their rights : including their

rights to appropriate food, shelter, and health care, as well as the rights to education and

welfare.

Gender equality

Cultural transformation, empowerment, and management : The society and economy

gain when we give women more control over leadership and decision-making. The

promotion of gender equality is aided by having more women in leadership roles in both the

workplace and popular culture.

Values Integration

Respect

Respect is recognizing and giving thoughtful action to other people's feelings,

wishes, rights, needs, and traditions. Every right has a corresponding obligation. Bearing the

human right to be treated with respect means you must also treat others with respect.

Empathy

Having compassion for the experiences of others leads to a better understanding of

the importance of upholding social justice.

Solidarity

Practicing solidarity helps further the advancements and changes within the

community for the common good. Participating in community activities can empower by

giving people a sense of belonging, purpose, skill development, agency, and social capital. It

has the potential to help people feel more connected to their community, build confidence

and competence, and contribute to constructive social change.

Holding the government accountable

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 Holding the government accountable for human rights violations is critical for

protecting individuals' rights and dignity and promoting a democratic and just society. It is the

obligation of all citizens to hold their governments accountable and transparent to ensure

that human rights are recognized, defended, and fulfilled.

Participation and Engagement

Improves awareness and knowledge of problems, and gives people the opportunity

to influence choices that have an impact on their daily lives. Additionally, it can assist people

in learning new skills on existing passions. Collaborating enhances communication as well

as comprehension.

Belief and Unity

It makes it possible for groups and those making decisions to communicate

efficiently, and it fosters relationships by preserving intimate connections among members of

the community.

Become mindful of society

By being involved in your community, you may increase your awareness of the

social, environmental, and economic aspects at play and possibly make a constructive

contribution.

More intelligent choices

May be made by considering the whole picture and the effects on all of your partners.

Community participation can help you do this by providing you with additional data and

points of view.

Summary and Conclusion

Human rights, social justice, and participatory development is closely linked to each

other in the sense that they collectively protect the people’s freedom.

The arrest of Nobel Peace prize winner and journalist Maria Ressa is one of many

examples in which the Philippines have threatened the rights of the press, thus obstructing

the implementation of human rights and social justice.

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 Participatory development can be seen in the government’s Bottom-Up Budgeting

Program, which allows people to voice their concerns to the government and determine the

best programs to help them with their needs.

Bible Quotes

John 13:34

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love

one another.

Romans 12:16

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with

people of low positions. Do not be conceited.

Proverbs 28:12

When the godly succeed, everyone is glad. When the wicked take charge, people go

into hiding.

References

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May 27). StudyBay. https://studybayhelp.co.uk/blog/community-empowerment-can-
really-benefit-the/?ref=1d10f08780852c55
Castillo, G. T. (1983). How participatory is participatory development? : a review of the
Philippine experience. Philippine Institute for Development Studies
eBooks. https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/bitstream/20.500.12413/3519/1/
pidsbk83-prtcpatry.pdf
Gupta, G. R., Oomman, N., Grown, C., Conn, K., Hawkes, S., Shawar, Y. R., ... & Darmstadt,
G. L. (2019). Gender equality and gender norms: framing the opportunities for health.
The Lancet, 393(10190), 2550-2562.

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Gutierrez, J., & Stevenson, A. (2021, October 8). Filipino Journalist Maria Ressa Convicted
of Libel. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/14/business/maria-
ressa-verdict-philippines-rappler.html?smid=url-share
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community advocacy for ethnic‐based health equity: The Road4Health experience.
American Journal of Community Psychology, 66(3-4), 347-357.
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