Anti-Torture Advocacy in the Philippines: Building Partnerships and alliances through transformative engagement

This paper emerges out of a long-decade partnership between Balay and Dignity, both in program work and in research and knowledge generation. One of the important areas of work adn reflection has been around advocacy. For nearly a decade Balay's anti-torture advocacy has been a crucial component in progressively achieving a vision of a society where human rights are at the heart of perspectives, discourse and practice. Through this advocacy, Balay, in partnership with Dignity, has contributed to the adoption of a law and a treaty relevant to torture; policy and institutional changes at the national and local level; greater awareness of the anti-torture agenda; and, perhaps most importantly, in having working relationships, and even, partnerships with government agencies.