Text by: Ma. Enedina Estanislao
A fourth year BA Behavioral Sciences student at the College of Arts and Sciences emerged as champion in
the first Southeast Asia Regional Speech Competition held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Jan. 20, 2024.
In her impromptu speech, Bernadette Fae L. Taroc shared her insight on the question
Taroc drew from her experiences as an intern at the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), which opened her eyes to the reality of human rights abuse in the country, especially within prisons and juvenile detention facilities.
“Torture in custody may seem isolated within prison walls but its effects can bleed into society by normalizing brutality. I witnessed this working as a research assistant for a human rights organization
documenting children in conflict with the law. One of the children I interviewed, alias “Junjun”, was detained, severely beaten, and verbally abused at a juvenile detention facility for stealing food” she said in her speech.
“According to his parents, when Junjun got out, he would beat up his peers just for fun, something which he didn’t do before he was detained and tortured. When I asked why he does this, Junjun replied “If the police can do it, then why can’t I?”. This shows that the authorities are viewed as role models for what is right, fair, and just. Thus, if they act as if torture is not wrong, they are sending the message to us and to children like Junjun that it is okay to disrespect the dignity of our fellow human beings. As a result,
violence becomes normalized and permeates into societal culture,” she added.
In another part of her speech, she stated, “Another reason why torture does not serve the common good is that it threatens the safety of a community by increasing the likelihood of recidivism or being a repeat offender. Recent statistical studies found that countries which promote humane treatment and rehabilitation within prison, such as Norway, Finland, and Sweden, have lower rates of recidivism. This is in stark contrast to countries within our region of Southeast Asia which are notorious for torturing persons
in custody. This is because humane treatment fosters overall wellbeing while torture heightens aggression and paranoia leading to increased violent tendencies.”
The competition gathered the thoughts of participants on the theme, “the passion and dedication of our young voices to transform the public mindset and reaffirm the fundamental human right that no one shall be subjected to torture.”
The speech tilt was funded by the European Union and hosted by the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), Task Force Detainers of the Philippines, and Cross Cultural Foundation (CRCF) in Thailand.
