EDITORIAL - Still no safe spaces

In comparative international studies, one area where the Philippines ranks high is in gender equality.

The country had its first woman president in 1986, and another one in 2001, who later became the first female House speaker. Filipinos have twice elected a woman as vice president, including the current one.

Women have become chief justice, the heads of constitutional bodies, Cabinet members and officials at all levels of government. Women are the principal breadwinners in many families, accounting for a large number of overseas Filipino workers who help keep the economy afloat.

The country has enacted some of the toughest laws protecting women from various forms of harassment and discrimination in the workplace, schools and public spaces. The law against domestic violence drew some protests from men who saw it as biased against their gender, but it was passed anyway, and remains in place.

And yet there’s a chasm between the passage of a law in this country and its enforcement. Women and girls continue to suffer from domestic violence, abuse and exploitation. In many reported cases, barangay officials, who are mandated by law to serve as the first line of defense against domestic violence, have refused to help victims who seek help.

Girls continue to be exploited, along with young boys; the country is a hot spot for online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

Women’s Month opened with a congressman facing a firestorm over lewd remarks he made about actress Anne Curtis. And as of today, International Women’s Day, it looks like Quezon City Rep. Bong Suntay still doesn’t get it. Misogyny and objectification of women – accusations hurled against him by women’s groups – appear to be alien concepts for him.

His wife has publicly apologized for his behavior, appealing to bashers to spare their children, but Suntay still wonders what all the fuss is about.

He might finally find out as he faces not only an ethics complaint at the House, but also criminal charges for violating laws promoting women’s welfare. These include Republic Act 11313, the Safe Spaces Act or Bawal Bastos Law, which penalizes wolf-whistling, catcalling and lewd remarks in public spaces.

Suntay’s reaction to the issue illustrates how much work still lies ahead in changing attitudes toward women, even as the country celebrates progress in gender equality this Women’s Day.

The theme of this year’s celebration is “give to gain.” It encourages all forms of support to gain advancement for women and girls. Giving support, according to organizers of the commemoration, “means calling out stereotypes, challenging discrimination, questioning bias…”

Despite our gains, we still have a long way to go.