Protecting land activists from state violence: the case of NFSW and KMP in Negros, the Philippines

Abstract: This article examines the concept of protection beyond the conventional human rights state-centric perspective. The article accounts for protective practices, strategies, and tactics that activists use to keep themselves and their livelihoods safe as they are engaged in rights promotion. The article draws on the case of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP, translation: Peasant Movement of the Philippines), both of which have endured persistent attacks by the state as they fight for land reform. In examining the case of NFSW and KMP, this article explores how protective practices comprise both short-term tactics and long-term strategies; pursued with, independent of, or in opposition to the state; and, deployed on local, national, and global stages together with and through allies and supportive actors networks.

Keywords: Land activists, human rights, human rights defender, protection, state violence

Article posted to Journal of the British Academy, volume 10, supplementary issue 3 (Human Rights Protection and Torture).