Dressed in black, they prowl the streets of this city in the southern Philippines on their motorbikes in search of prey. The vigilante killers are out to get the street children. Armed with butcher’s knives or pistols, the Davao death squads mete out their idea of swift justice with impunity and see their killings of homeless kids as ridding the city of petty criminals and drug couriers. At least 53 cases of children being gunned down by the vigilantes have been recorded by the Preda Foundation, an NGO that has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize for its work in defending the rights of Filipino women and children. One of the more chilling facts behind the killings is that they have been carried out with the tacit approval of the local authorities and the mute acceptance of the city’s residents. But the summary executions have infuriated human-rights groups here, one of which recently presented evidence to the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHCR). Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.