The Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT)


     Amidst the many harrowing events and upheavals that have changed political settings, many Filipinos continue live in dismal and unjust conditions which prompt many to seek varied avenues for change. Powerful proponents of the status quo have utilized many instruments to keep these good agents of change at bay. One of the most offensive methods to politically gain the upper hand is the practice of torture which seconds only to extra judicial executions.

     As an organization put up by and consisting of human rights defenders, Balay has always expressed a great disapproval of its use which has become a routine practice to those who hold power and the ones who represent them. Years of having had worked with its partners to help them rediscover their personhood through its psychosocial intervention programs, Balay has been witness to many who were brutalized, scarred, and had become emotionally dysfunctional because of torture. We want solutions to this problem and eradicate it once and for all. To obtain a society that is just, egalitarian, and peaceful, we need to break the methods that restrain the dedicated people who are grappling for its realization.

     In our campaign against torture through Balay as an institution and the UATC, we have made it our objective to convince those who can make a difference, to share our sentiments in wanting to make use of every tool available to combat the practice of torture. With the anti-torture bill’s enactment underway, we foresee that we have to go beyond merely criminalizing the act. We have to be more vigilant and remain one step ahead by intervening before hand to prevent torture. Balay, together with other organizations, have undertaken a nationwide campaign to persuade government to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT), a UN torture prevention mechanism which works by establishing a system of regular visits done by international and national experts. Through this primer, we wish to make others aware of its existence and how it will work to benefit us all.

     We hope that with the information that is brought forth by it, healthy exchanges, discussions, and studies can be made by those putting together their efforts to put the OPCAT into place, be they from the government or civil society.



Loreine B. dela Cruz

Former Executive Director

Balay Rehabilitation Center, Inc.

March 2006