Arrupe Social Formation Program for First Year Students (1101)

MIDTERM PAPER: SOCIAL JUSTICE

Codes: #4 Names: Soung II Bark Date: September 10, 2019

#5 Daniella Bastida
#6 Gwyneth Bunda

I. Issue:
The Island of Mindanao comprises diverse communities of ethno-linguistic and Lumad groups.
Of its total population, 18 percent are Muslims and around 5 percent are Lumad. In Mindanao,
females cover half of the population, making them an important resource for the development of
the island. Unfortunately, according to the United Nations Development Program, the Gender-
related Development Index (GDI) – which measures gender-gaps in terms of life expectancy,
education, and income – of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is relatively
low. Having a measurement of 0.322, the area of Sulu had the lowest GDI in the whole country.
For this reason, Mindanao women, particularly the indigenous and Muslim women, deal with
poverty and violence each day. Being subjects to such conflict, they are the ones suffering
politically, economically, and even socially.
In the political aspect, many indigenous and Muslim women bear the brunt of violence by
deserting their homes for fear that they might get caught in the crossfire between the Ampatuan
and Mangudadatu families. These women lack political participation and protection from the risks
of displacement due to evacuation, making them susceptible to sexual violence and oppression.
Many, also, are deprived of economic opportunities and face problems such as lack of water, food
security, and privacy, and loss of livelihood due to the prevailing conflicts in their areas. Moreover,
in the social aspect, indigenous and Muslim women experience every day the torture of being
treated unfairly in terms of human rights. These women are often left in the margins without no
one empowering and advocating for their rights to peace and gender equality.
II. Solutions that Promote Social Justice

A. Political
 There should be a stricter implementation of law in terms of the violence and
harassment against indigenous and Muslim women specifically those in the areas of
Sulu where there has been a persisting violence. To promote social justice, the state
must value the dignity of the indigenous and Muslim women and should recognize the
need to protect them from violence and threats to their personal safety and security.
There should be a serious application of penalties in every heinous act committed.
 There should also be a purpose of safeguarding the victims from further harm and
facilitating the opportunity of these women to regain independent control over their
life. Moreover, there should be an effective and strategic cooperation of leaders in every
sector of Sulu so as to be able to protect the women from more violence. Leaders should
prioritize the welfare of the indigenous and Muslim women and ensure their safety in
the community.
 In order to acquire the peace and development that these women have longed for, there
is also a need for electoral reforms. Knowing the fact that such violence is often caused
by conflicts between different political families, the people with authority in the area
should aim for more peaceful and clean elections by implementing leadership values
that promote gender equality and respect for each human being. They should strategize
and create concrete measures that can be able to overcome these challenges posed by
violence. Other than that, leaders can also focus on educating the voters in time for
elections by inculcating in them the right values of choosing efficient officers. Through
this, social justice can be made present in various parts of Sulu as violence can be
gradually eradicated and indigenous and Muslim women can thrive peacefully in the
community.

B. Economic
 Indigenous and Muslim women in Sulu have faced different economic problems
because of the conflict and issues they have in their community. Their strategy in
surviving and having something to eat for a day is by begging from other people. To
address this problem, they should receive job opportunities to help them financially
support their family and their primary needs. In promoting social justice, there should
be equality in the workplace. Women should not be underestimated by what they can
do based on their gender. It should be based on their abilities and capabilities in doing
tasks. Moreover, different job opportunities should be open or available to them and
should not be limited as they can also do the works that men can do. Through this
solution, the indigenous people and Muslim women will be able to have a sustainable
life and not experience poverty – not by begging from other people's money, but by
having a rightful work they deserve to have.
 Organizations in Mindanao can make a collaboration with charities to gather more
funds in order to provide the needs of the indigenous people and Muslim women in
Sulu. Through this collaboration, their needs will be provided to them and it will help
them have stable economic lives. The funds from the collaboration of these
organizations and charities can also help the indigenous and Muslim women as they
can provide them their primary needs or even give them new opportunities of starting
up a new life from what they will receive from the team. From these funds, it can also
help the indigenous people or Muslim women in Sulu in making their own
organizations that promote gender equality and indigenous/Muslim women
empowerment to make them stronger, more stable, and more literate about their rights
as a woman and as a citizen of this country. Thus, this collaboration will not just cater
 to the needs of the indigenous people and Muslim women, but it will also give them
literacy or knowledge about their rights in our country.

C. Social
 One reason for the sufferings of Muslim and Lumad women is due to the feminization of
poverty that does not only result from the lack of income, but from the deprivation of
capabilities and gender biases present in the society as well. Due to this social construct,
these women are suffering due to lack of food caused by lesser opportunities brought by
gender biases. One solution for this is raising advocacy awareness and women
empowerment through social media utilization for women, just like men, are capable of
doing anything. With this social awareness, indigenous and Muslim women will be given
a platform to voice out their thoughts; thus, acquiring the social justice that they have
longed for so long.
 In the article “Poverty, War and Peace: Lumad and Muslim Women’s Issues in Mindanao”
by Professor Ma. Arve B. Bañez, he mentioned that indigenous and Muslim women have
deserted their homes in the fear of getting caught in the crossfire between the armed men
of the Ampatuan and Mangudadatu families. This is something that has to be addressed as
women should not live with fear, not even fear of men. Some indigenous and Muslim
women also experience sexual harrasments due to fear and thinking that they are inferior,
that there is nothing they can do because they are just women, and so they are taken
advantage of. These women have developed these kinds of thinking because no one in the
society is stopping men and counseling the women. Through this issue on hand, the best
way to address this is through health and counseling services for indigenous and Muslim
women to enlighten women of their rights as an individual and to attain to their physical
and mental health. Through this, women can develop a sense of belongingness in the
society and continue to love their life with a strong mind and heart and away from any fear.

Source:
https://www.up.edu.ph/index.php/poverty-war-and-peace-lumad-and-muslim-womens-
issues-in-mindanao/