4,687 cases of violence vs women filed this year

More than 4,600 cases of violence against women (VAW) have been reported to the police from January to October this year, officials said yesterday.

Myrna Yao, who chairs the National Council on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) , said cases of VAW reported to the Philippine National Police (PNP) from January to October reached 4,687.

In 2006, a total of 5,758 cases were reported to the PNP, she added.

Yao said physical injury is the most common type of violence against women, accounting for 38.86 percent of the total cases. Cases of violence against women and their children ranked second at 26.07 percent, she added.

The NCRFW, in partnership with the Quezon City government, non-government organizations and civil society, led some 1,000 bikers yesterday at the Quezon City Memorial Circle during the kick-off ceremony of the 18-day campaign to end VAW.

Yao said this year’s theme, dubbed “Kaligtasan ng Kababaihan sa Karahasan, Tungkulin ng Bawat Mamamayan,” focused on providing better services for women victims of violence.

“Bike against VAW is an activity which is community-oriented, more interpersonal, health-friendly and environment-friendly to increase awareness on this cause and instill a sense of obligation to everyone to take action,” she said.

“This sense of community conveys the message that the elimination of VAW is a concern not only of women but more importantly of the entire community, and that all must be fit to fight VAW.”

Yao said every woman is vulnerable to violence in familiar and intimate settings like their homes, neighborhood, workplace, school and public places.

“We must break this cycle and assert women’s rights to eliminate violence against women,” she said. “It is a serious and urgent human rights concern for countless Filipino women living in constant fear and insecurity over their lives and safety.”

Yao said violence has consequences on women’s mental and emotional health.

“It can drastically affect a woman’s self-esteem,” she said.

“It limits human development, economic growth and productive capacity of women. It is an obstacle in achieving equality, security, liberty, integrity and dignity of all human beings, hence, VAW is everyone’s concern.”

In 2006, the National Bureau of Investigation received 241 cases of violations of Republic Act 9262, 104 cases of which have been recommended for prosecution, while 97 cases have been closed (either dismissed for lack of merit, interest, or filed directly in court), the NCRFW said.

Physical injuries and/or wife battering remains to be most prevalent case across the eight-year period accounting for more than half (58.5) percent of all reported VAW cases nationwide, the agency added.

RA 9262 defines violence against women, their children, providing for protective measures for victims, and prescribes penalties for the perpetrators.

The reported incidence of physical injuries and/or wife battering has been decreasing in the past years, from 5,668 to 1,892 in 2006, according to the NCRFW.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has served a total of 5,378 women in especially difficult circumstances in 2006.

Women groups from different parts of the world yearly observe the International Day Against Violence Against Women from Nov. 25 to Dec. 10.

In the Philippines, Presidential Proclamation 1172, series of 2006, extended the campaign to 18 days to include Dec. 12, a historic date that marked the adoption in Palermo, Italy of the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Crime, supplemented by the protocol to prevent and punish trafficking persons, especially women and children.

“For this year’s campaign, we are calling on the local government unit frontline service providers and local chief executives to take concrete actions to put an end to VAW and strengthen service delivery to VAW victim survivors,” Yao said.