From Repression to Recognition: How Filipina Women Internationalize Human Rights Violations Under Rodrigo Duterte’s Regime

The #HoldTheLine campaign, which was launched in support of Maria Ressa and Rappler, the independent media in the Philippines, provides the central focus for this research, which investigates the dynamics between women’s agency and the internationalization of human rights violations. Grounded in Transnational Advocacy Network theory, this dissertation emphasizes how women’s agency provided a powerful frame for mobilization, particularly Maria Ressa’s role as a female journalist confronting state-enabled harassment was crucial in building the narrative that attracted the international #HoldTheLine coalition, transforming domestic legal proceedings into an international recognized human-rights crisis. Employing a content analysis method, this research examines how the mechanisms of framing, mobilization, amplification and international legitimation, demonstrated by the construction of a press-freedom narrative that attracted over 80 international and civil society organizations,...Show moreThe #HoldTheLine campaign, which was launched in support of Maria Ressa and Rappler, the independent media in the Philippines, provides the central focus for this research, which investigates the dynamics between women’s agency and the internationalization of human rights violations. Grounded in Transnational Advocacy Network theory, this dissertation emphasizes how women’s agency provided a powerful frame for mobilization, particularly Maria Ressa’s role as a female journalist confronting state-enabled harassment was crucial in building the narrative that attracted the international #HoldTheLine coalition, transforming domestic legal proceedings into an international recognized human-rights crisis. Employing a content analysis method, this research examines how the mechanisms of framing, mobilization, amplification and international legitimation, demonstrated by the construction of a press-freedom narrative that attracted over 80 international and civil society organizations, gathered more than 10,000 petition signatures, place the Philippine government to act and reform. This study finds how the narratives and leadership of women activists contribute to transform the perception of a local human-rights violation into an international concern, as demonstrated by Ressa’s case evolving from domestic court convictions into an international solidarity campaign. Her strategy to turn gendered persecution into a narrative of democratic decline, accelerated the TAN’s capacity for legitimation and pressure, proving that women agency actively influences the strategic framing, mobilization and success of transnational advocacy networks.Show less

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From Repression to Recognition: How Filipina Women Internationalize Human Rights Violations Under Rodrigo Duterte’s Regime