2017 18-Day Campaign to End VAW



In 2016, the Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against Women (IACVAWC) adopted the theme “VAW-free community starts with Me” for the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW). The Council also agreed that the said theme shall be used every year from 2016 to 2021.

The theme shifts the 18-Day Campaign To End VAW to positive advocacy as it enjoins everyone to pursue the common vision of a VAW-free community, and highlights what can be done to achieve such.
Results of the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in 2013 show that one out of five (20%) of women aged 15 to 49 years has experienced physical violence. The NDHS is conducted every five years. It should be noted that survey results are more indicative of the prevalence of violence in the country, since the administrative data on number of clients served by service providers like the police, social workers, and health workers only capture cases reported to these offices. Considering such prevalence, the 2017 Campaign to End VAW shall focus on Primary Prevention, to reduce incidents of VAW in the country.

The 2017 campaign approach is to make people understand VAW from the point of view of victim-survivors. It is hoped that such deeper understanding would ignite compassion from stakeholders, so that they would not commit, condone, or remain silent about VAW. For service providers, such compassion towards victim-survivors would encourage them to provide better services to their clients.


Reality Check: VAW in Numbers

  • 1 in 5 women experienced physical violence since age 15 (2013 NDH Survey among women aged 15-49)
  • 6 in 100 women reported having experienced sexual violence (2013 NDH Survey among women aged 15-49)
  • 4% of women experienced physical violence during pregnancy (2013 NDH Survey among women aged 15-49)
  • Only 3 of 10 women sought help to stop the violence (2013 NDH Survey among women aged 15-49)
  • A total of 31,580 cases of violations of RA 9262 were filed before the Philippine National Police from January to December 2016 (PNP WCPC 2016 Report)
  • A total of 15,749 cases of violations of RA 9262 were filed before the Philippine National Police from January to June 2017 (PNP WCPC 2017 Report)
  • As of June 2017, 88.44% or 37,178 out of 42,036 Barangays in the Philippines have established Barangay VAW Desk (DILG Report)

Campaign Activities


18-Day Campaign to End VAW Kick-off Activity– 24 November 2017, 9 AM; PETA Theatre, Quezon City. The 18-Day Campaign To End VAW Kick-Off Activity will serve as a venue to present the situation of VAW in the Philippines and likewise launch the Strategic Plan of the Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against Women and Their Children (IACVAWC).


VAW Experiential Museum – 24 November to 26 November 2017; PETA Theatre, Quezon City. The museum is one of the most effective ways to make the public understand the difficult experiences of VAW victim-survivors by making use of their senses (see, hear and feel) and appealing to their emotions. It is hoped that as they walk through the museum, which narrates various forms of VAW in different places, they will develop compassion and concern towards the victim-survivors and later commit to become an instrument in ending VAW.


Orange Your Icon for 18 Days Advocay Initiative – 25 November to 12 December 2017. Now on its third year in the Philippines, the ORANGE YOUR ICON FOR 18 DAYS ADVOCACY INTITATIVE aims to strengthen the anti-VAW advocacy by enjoining new audiences to join the cause to end VAW. The idea is to attract the public’s curiosity on why major landmarks or icons nationwide are colored orange, thereby providing opportunities for advocates to explain the Anti-VAW advocacy. By participating in this initiative, government offices and private organizations are declaring their support to the anti-VAW advocacy and zero-tolerance for VAW to the public’s attention.


VAW: The Unspoken Words. “VAW: The Unspoken Words” is one of the lined-up activities for the 2017 18-Day Campaign To End VAW. Using free-verse poetry and images, the project aims to make the public understand the difficult experiences of VAW victim-survivors.

Five videos narrating various forms of VAW will be presented which include VAW in the Home, VAW in the Workplace, VAW in the School, VAW in Public Spaces and Online Harassment. It is hoped that these videos will develop compassion and concern towards the victim-survivors.
To download the videos, facilitator’s guide and presentations on VAW, visit:


Production and Distribution of Advocacy Materials. Agencies and LGUs are requested to produce and distribute their own VAWC-related information materials to their clients and employees. Those who wish to reprint PCW-produced materials may download the electronic copy of the IEC materials through this link.


Online advocacy . Official hashtag: #VAWfreePH
Feature 18-Day Campaign to End VAW in agency websites