fbpx

Violence Against Women

Published by admin on

By PMAJ Nancy May S. Rafael (PNP)

After an overtime work at the office, I opened my Facebook to check on the latest posts while I was having my usual glass of milk before bedtime. As I scrolled down, I saw a lot of Mother’s Day greetings on my newsfeed. It was then that I remembered that then—May 12, is the special day of all the Nanay, Mama, Inang, Mudra, or the millennial term Momshie.

I said to myself, lucky are the ones who have children who get to give a special message for their mother this Mother’s Day. Then suddenly a question popped out of my head. How about those abused mothers? Those victims of violence and lawlessness? Or those mothers who are suffering from depression or other psychological problems which were a result of their partners’ cruelty or brutality? In short, those mothers who were victims of violence against women (VAW).

What is VAW or VAWC anyway? If you happen to visit a precinct or police station, you may notice a separate investigation room for women and children. In that room you will see or encounter the term VAWC for sure…and a lot.

In that room is where our friendly policewomen assess and assist victims of violence against women and their children, as well as start the process of investigation. I remember the time when I was assigned as a Woman Investigator in a police station on my early days in the PNP service. It was then that I learned that the Philippine Government has already passed a law that addresses the violence against women to include their children, the Republic Act 9262 or otherwise known as the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004. In short, this is the Special Law which is being applied to every case of violence against women to include their children perpetrated by their husband, former husband, live-in partners, boyfriend or even a person with whom he had a sexual or dating relationship.

How is VAW/VAWC being committed? Is it punishable? The term “violence” itself answers the question. But every women’s experience of abuse is different. VAWC is being committed in four forms: First, the physical violence which includes physical harm to the body of the victim like punching, stabbing etc.

Second, the sexual violence which is sexual in nature which includes rape, sexual harassment, acts of lasciviousness, treating a woman or her child as a sex object, making demeaning and sexually suggestive remarks and prostituting the woman or child.

Third, the psychological violence which includes acts causing mental or emotional suffering of the victim such as intimidation, harassment, stalking, damage to property, public humiliation, repeated verbal abuse and mental infidelity and unlawful or unwanted deprivation of the right to custody and/or visitation of common children.

And lastly, the economic violence which refers to acts that make a woman financially dependent including withdrawal of financial support or preventing the victim from engaging in any legitimate profession, business or activity; deprivation of financial resources and the right to the use and enjoyment of the conjugal property owned in common; destroying household property and controlling the victims’ own money or properties; or solely controlling the conjugal money or properties. (For complete list, please refer to Sec 3 of RA 9262).

These forms of violence are punishable under Sec. 6 of RA 9262 in accordance with the Revised Penal Code. Aside from imprisonment, the perpetrator shall also pay a certain fine and shall report compliance to the court.

What are the effects of these violence to the victims? Victims of violence tend to become over-sensitive or are often haunted by the feeling of danger, fear, as well as shame. Physically, violence has been linked to some serious health problems such as deformity, injuries, chronic health problems, sexual and reproductive health problems and even death on extreme cases. Psychologically, victims may experience anxiety, uncontrolled anger, trust issues, fear, depression and worst-suicide. Also, the negative impact on women’s self-image may hinder her from developing her full potential to become successful.

What’s the good news? Violence against women is considered a violation of Human Rights and not merely a crime. Currently, the issue of VAWC in our country is being addressed by different agencies, local government units (LGUs) and even nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). All agencies and LGUs are mandated by law to allot at least 5 percent of their total budget for Gender and Development Programs which include activities/projects addressing VAWC incidents. Also, the relentless effort of all PNP units to address the VAWC problem is reflected in the diminishing data in the PNP reports. As of January, to April 2019, a total of 2,725 VAWC cases was recorded by the PNP Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC) compared to 16,517 cases in 2013. In my humble opinion, these reports imply that awareness about VAWC is becoming greater.

As I finished my milk, I suddenly came to realize another GAD project which will surely contribute in the awareness campaign on violence against women and I plan to make a proposal paper as soon as possible. With this “idea,” I know I could contribute something and in my own little way for the mothers or women who were victims of violence. Before I closed my laptop, I posted “Happy Mother’s Day to all the Nanays on my FB friend list” on my wall. Girl Power!


0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Avatar placeholder

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *