Lives Lost Too Soon: Children Caught in Duterte's Drug War 'Collateral Damage'
Families of drug war victims, including children, followed the International Criminal Court's confirmation of charges hearings against former President Rodrigo Duterte. The case highlights the tragic loss of young lives, almost a decade after Duterte declared an all-out war on criminality. For these families, the fight is not just political, but for the voiceless victims.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmation of charges hearing against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte began on February 23, 2026, in The Hague, Netherlands, with prosecutors presenting evidence that his drug war targeted the poor and killed children, not as mere collateral damage. The hearing, presided over by Judge Iulia Antoanella Motoc with Judges Reine Alapini-Gansou and Socorro Flores Liera, examines whether there are substantial grounds to believe Duterte bears responsibility as an indirect co-perpetrator for crimes against humanity, primarily murder, linked to extrajudicial killings from November 1, 2011, to March 16, 2019. Duterte was arrested on March 11, 2025, in the Philippines through 'Operation Pursuit' and surrendered to the ICC on March 12, 2025, following an arrest warrant issued for murder, torture, and rape as crimes against humanity.
Prosecutors highlighted specific cases of child victims, including 17-year-old Kian delos Santos who was killed in a 2017 police operation under Oplan Tokhang, and other minors who were silenced with tape before execution. Human Rights Watch documented 101 children extrajudicially executed or killed as bystanders from mid-2016 through 2018, with thousands more suffering lasting physical, emotional, and economic harm. The prosecution emphasized that Duterte's public statements urged killing children at risk of addiction, contradicting claims that child deaths were merely collateral damage.
Families of drug war victims, including those who lost children, followed the ICC proceedings closely, seeking justice nearly a decade after Duterte declared his all-out war on drugs in 2016. Official government tallies report 6,252 drug suspects killed by 2022, but human rights organizations estimate the death toll between 12,000 to 30,000 including vigilante killings. The first year of the drug war alone saw 54 child victims among the casualties.
During the February 2026 hearing, Duterte's defense lawyer Salvador Panelo claimed the prosecution's case had 'shattered into pieces' after witness testimony on the third day. However, human rights organizations like FIDH noted that the hearings offered a long-denied chance for accountability for patterns of abuse beyond murder, including torture, enforced disappearance, rape, and sexual violence affecting marginalized victims. The Philippines Congress held separate hearings in August-November 2024 that revealed Duterte administration orders for suspect eliminations, including detained Chinese nationals.
Despite the current Marcos Jr. administration's non-cooperation with the ICC, drug war killings continued with 332 deaths recorded from January to November 2024, over 50% by security forces. Families of victims face ongoing stigma and inadequate government support, relying on non-governmental organizations for assistance. The ICC proceedings represent a crucial step toward accountability for what prosecutors describe as systematic violence that disproportionately affected poor communities and claimed young lives.
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