Children were killed in Rodrigo Duterte's war on illegal drugs. They were 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 17 years old. They had homework to finish, exams the next day, Mass to attend, and most especially dreams to achieve.
Some were asleep, some were getting ready for school. But they were killed and became part of the thousands of Filipinos killed in the bloody war that the previous administration waged.
As the International Criminal Court case against Duterte moves forward, families demand justice. For them, the search for accountability is inseparable from grief—and from the lives they say were taken too soon.
According to INQUIRER.net, the youngest victims include toddlers caught in raids that bore no resemblance to due process, adolescents shot in front of family members, and teenagers whose names were added to drug watch lists with fatal consequences.
The ICC's investigation, approved in 2021, examines whether crimes against humanity were committed during the drug war that claimed an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 lives between 2016 and 2019. While Duterte has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and withdrew the Philippines from the ICC in 2019, the court maintains jurisdiction over crimes committed before the withdrawal took effect.
For families of child victims, the ICC represents their last avenue for justice in a country where domestic investigations have stalled. Many describe a climate of fear that prevented them from filing complaints while Duterte remained in office, with police involved in the killings still serving and witnesses afraid to testify.
The case carries implications beyond the Philippines. Ten countries, 700 million people, one region—and how Southeast Asia responds to this moment of accountability will shape whether other strongman leaders face consequences for human rights violations.
Indonesia, Thailand, and Myanmar have all grappled with extrajudicial killings in drug enforcement. The ICC's handling of the Duterte case establishes precedent for whether international law can reach leaders who claim domestic sovereignty shields them from prosecution.
Philippine civil society groups have documented the cases of child victims with photographs, medical records, and witness statements. They argue the killings violated not only international law but also Philippines constitutional protections and the country's own laws against summary execution.
Whether the ICC ultimately issues an arrest warrant remains uncertain, but the investigation's advancement marks a rare moment when a Southeast Asian leader faces potential international prosecution for domestic actions. For the families still waiting, that represents something they thought impossible: the possibility that powerful people might finally answer for what happened to their children.
