Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 19) — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Thursday said it will look into the allegation that a female relative of a political prisoner in Metro Manila was made to undergo a strip search during a jail visit without proper observance of rules.
In a statement, the CHR expressed “grave concern” over the complaint lodged by a daughter who visited her political detainee father over a week ago at Metro Manila District Jail Annex 4 in Bicutan City.
According to the commission, the daughter said she was directed to a room without doors or curtains for privacy and was asked to lift her top so the jail custodian may search her upper undergarment for contrabands. It was not clear in the CHR statement if the jail custodian was male or female.
Based on the complaint, she was neither informed of her rights nor was she asked to sign a waiver prior to the search.
“The victim adds that her husband was not allowed to enter the premises,” the CHR said. “These compounding circumstances resulted in feelings of shame and degradation.”
The commission took note of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners – also known as the Mandela Rules – which state that security searches “shall not be used to harass, intimidate or unnecessarily intrude upon a prisoner’s privacy” and that “intrusive searches shall be conducted in private and by trained staff of the same sex as the prisoner.”
The CHR also pointed out that the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology’s (BJMP) operations manual provides that visitors should sign a waiver for the search they will undergo.
Jail officers are also instructed that whenever possible, the person to be searched shall be accompanied by another visitor who shall act as witness to the procedures conducted.
“CHR shall look into these allegations to ensure that searches are conducted in a manner intended for its purpose, but with utmost respect to individual dignity and privacy,” the commission said.
CHR chairperson Richard Palpal-latoc, meanwhile, encouraged victims of similar occurrences to report their experiences to the commission to strengthen its work in improving protocols in penitentiaries and detention facilities.
