WUNRN
PHILIPPINES - STEEP RISE IN
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
Photo: Ana Santos/IRIN
The number of reported cases has spiked.
“From 2006 to the present, there has been a constant increase,” Senior
Superintendent Theresa Ann Cid, of the Philippine National Police (PNP), told
IRIN.
In 2011 there were 12,948 reported cases, up from 4,954 in 2006 - a rise of
more than 150 percent - the PNP Women
and Children’s Protection Centre (PNP-WPC) noted. From January to
April of 2012, 5,629 cases have been reported.
The 2008 National
Demographic Health Survey estimated that one in five Filipino women between the
ages of 15 and 49 had experienced physical violence, while 14.4 percent of
women have been physically abused by their husbands.
The World Health Organization described the level of sexual violence in the
The
The Republic Act (RA) 9262, known as the Violence Against Women and their
Children Law, was passed in 2004. It broadened the definition of abuse to
include physical, emotional and economic harm. It also made violence by an
intimate partner (anyone with whom a woman has a sexual relationship) a public
crime, and made it possible for anyone -not just the victim - to file a case
against a perpetrator.
Since the legislation was passed, the number of cases of reported intimate
partner violence has been steadily increasing, from 218 in 2004 to 9,021 in
2011. Violations of RA 9262 make up the largest component of reported acts of
violence against women (VAW), including rape, sexual assault, and physical
injury.
Gender-sensitive police
The authorities have taken a number of measures, mainly gender-sensitive
interventions, to encourage women to come forward. “Before the law [RA 9262],
domestic violence was seen as a private issue. Some [police] officers were
confused about their role and would reconcile couples,” said PNP Senior Police
Officer Helen dela Cruz, who oversees one of the PNP women’s desks in the
capital,
Interview
rooms meant to look like playrooms provide a protective environment for
minors who are victims of violence and abuse |
The PNP established Women and Children Protection Centres (WCPC)
in 2007 to deal with crimes involving the exploitation and abuse of women and
children. There are now more than 1,800 such centres throughout the country,
staffed by 3,038 policewomen trained in the laws that protect women, such as RA
9262, and gender sensitivity. Some police stations have been equipped with
child-friendly interview rooms for minors, and pink interview rooms for women.
Still a long way to go
Despite these measures there are still huge challenges, including a shortage of
staff to handle the volume of cases. Some police stations are not open 24 hours
a day, and most policewomen take on additional functions, such as community
relations, apart from handling the women’s desk. “These policewomen are
overworked and we are understaffed,” said Cid.
Of the 140,000 PNP personnel, only an estimated 15,600 are women. “We only have
the reported cases,” said Nharleen Santos-Millar, Policy Development and
Advocacy Division Chief of the Philippine Commission on Women
(PCW).
Since the passage of RA 9262, there have been a number of convictions, but
getting the exact numbers would involve the arduous task of going to individual
Family Courts, said Santos-Millar. The systematic compilation of data lags
behind and means the success of the measures to protect women and children cannot
be accurately monitored.
In 2009,
Amnesty International, the human rights watchdog, published a review on the
implementation of RA 9262, and noted that a deterrent in reporting abuse was
often the distance of a woman’s village to the police station.
In response, the PCW and other government offices rolled out guidelines in 2010
for the establishment of a VAW desk in every barangay, the smallest government
unit. As of December 2011, out of the 42,025 barangays in the country, 27,705
barangays (or 66 percent) have set up a VAW desk.
“Violence against women is a societal concern. Everyone needs to be sensitized
- judges who think they need to save the family no matter what, communities who
pressure women to stay with their abusive husbands - you can’t undo a mindset
like that overnight,” Santos-Millar noted.
Many people speculate that despite the laws, abuse often still goes unreported
simply because violence against women is accepted.
Tet Balayon, the Knowledge Management Officer of the Women’s
Crisis Centre, an NGO providing assistance to the victims of
violence, commented: “There is too much tolerance for violence in our culture.
Men think it’s part of being a man, women think it’s part of being in a
relationship.”