A Clarion Call to All: “Time NOW to End VAW!”
Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) Message on the 2024 Observance of the 18-day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW)
On average, 63% of countries have legislation on intimate partner violence, 37% have laws on rape based on lack of consent, 84% have legislation criminalizing marital rape, 92% have legislation that addresses sexual harassment, and 83% have budgetary commitments to address Violence Against Women (VAW).1
All of these countries include the Philippines, but why does VAW prevail?
Despite years of collective efforts of stakeholders from both public and private sectors rallying behind the cause and the annual show of support that reflect our nation’s desire to achieve a VAW-free Philippines (#VAWfreePH), the painful truth remains: Filipino women are still labelled as the “weaker sex” simply because they are not men. They continue to endure abuse and violence even within their intimate partner relationships. Gender-based discrimination and injustice and gender inequality persist, casting a shadow over the legacy of empowered Filipino women, such as the pre-colonial babaylans and catalonans, who once held significant leadership and societal roles.
Tragically, the status of our women changed in the 16th century when the colonizers disrupted our social fabric, introduced deep-rooted gender inequities in the country, and placed Filipinos in a VAW battlefield, unprepared and unarmored. Like a war that has been going on for centuries, VAW keeps inflicting non-healing wounds, leaving deep scars that still inflict pain to the present and future generations of our nation. This is even more disheartening considering that the Philippines is the first Asian country with a female president and consistently the most gender equal nation in the region, based on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index.
Staggering numbers of VAW cases speak louder than ever
In 2023, the Philippine National Police (PNP) recorded 8,055 cases under the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act (Republic Act or RA No. 9262), 2,791 cases under the Anti-Rape Law (RA 8353 as amended by RA 11648), 473 cases under the Safe Spaces Act (RA 11313), 59 cases under the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act (RA 7877), and 207 cases under the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (RA 9208 as amended by RA 11862). This totaled 11,585 cases in just one year, but this does not include cases that are unfortunately unreported or unrecorded.
These staggering numbers are not just figures. They represent real Filipino women and girls—our grandmothers, mothers, aunts, wives, sisters, daughters, nieces, granddaughters, or even ourselves—who have been abused, discriminated against, unjustly labelled as the “weaker sex”, and have endured violence despite efforts to combat this human rights violation.
Thus, it is high time to turn our whys into hows. VAW questions should now trigger a deeper reflection, demanding urgent action:
- How many VAW cases go unreported?
- How many cases go unnoticed or unaddressed?
- How many victims continue to suffer in silence and endure violence because they cannot seek help?
- And how certain are we that, without the support they desperately need, these victims will not become perpetrators as well?
The 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reveals a more painful truth.
- Two in five women (42%) age 15–49 who have experienced physical or sexual violence have never sought help to end the violence or told anyone about the violence;
- One in four women (24%) who have experienced violence told someone about the violence but did not seek help; and
- Only one in three (34%) women sought help to stop the violence.
These stark realities that Filipino women face compel us to be even more reflective and decisive.
- To the public, how effective is the 18-day Campaign to End VAW?
- To our stakeholders, how do we take this advocacy to heart?
- To our fellow duty-bearers, how will this advocacy drive radical change, ensuring that the Philippine government is indeed the government of the people, by the people, and for the people?
The war against VAW is not yet over, but we can decide to win it NOW!
This 2024, as the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) leads the nation in the observance of the 18-day Campaign to End VAW, we are making an appeal to everyone: The time to end VAW is NOW!
It is high time that we declare war against all forms of gender-based violence and unmask this monster that has been lurking around for centuries, waiting for the next victim. It is high time that we uncover the truths about VAW and expose every act of violence, denying the enemy any chance to strike. It is high time that we understand what VAW truly is, learn ways on how to dismantle it, prepare ourselves to prevent future attacks, and finally, win the war with women emerging as victors and not as casualties.
This is the struggle of our time—one that our ancestors faced and one that future generations will still confront if we all fail to act now.
Key facts about VAW determine our ways forward
To achieve a VAW-free Philippines, we must begin with nothing but the truth. Long-term issues, no matter how common, must be acknowledged, not denied. Challenges, no matter how difficult, must be faced head on. While we have made strides, we must keep finding our way forward until VAW is no longer a lived reality of Filipino women.
1. VAW is a colonial legacy with roots in need of complete removal
VAW did not originate from Filipino culture; it only emerged as an unfortunate legacy of colonial rule, used as an instrument to control, subjugate, and abuse women so that they can successfully colonize our people.
Let us uproot the colonial origins of VAW and plant new seeds of gender equality and women empowerment. The Philippines remains a fertile ground for positive change. By improving our societal foundation through better education, legislation, public service provision, and prevention, we can reclaim our heritage as a people respectful of each other’s rights and supportive of the contributions each one strives to make for our nation.
2. VAW is an offshoot of gender bias that demands a change in mindsets and behaviors
As a tool of patriarchy, VAW undermines gender equality, limits women’s participation in society, and hinders them from reaching their full potential.
Let us remember that equality hurts no one, dismantle systems that uphold both patriarchy and matriarchy, and adopt a gender-equal mindset that will lead to a changed culture where all genders are accepted, respected, and valued.
3. VAW is a violation of human rights that must be stopped
Any violence committed against women is violence committed against human beings, who have human rights that must be respected, protected, and fulfilled.
Let us have a shared purpose and participation in this advocacy. By walking in women’s shoes, seeing things from their perspective, and deeply understanding their experiences, we can effectively advocate for them and fight relentlessly with them against any form of violence.
4. VAW is a social issue that requires urgent attention
VAW impacts not only the lives of women, who comprise half of the nation’s population, but also their education, work, dreams, choices, homes, relationships, and the society.
Let us invest in women and give them a seat at the table. This requires actively including them in decision-making, respecting their voices, honoring the choices they make, and ensuring their participation in the social development process. We do not need to give women power because they are born with it. What we need to do is to allow them to exercise their power in a way they are used to—by being loving, caring, and nurturing; enriching lives and fostering everyone’s well-being; and fighting for what is right and for the good of humanity.
5. VAW is a global health emergency that demands immediate action
Dubbed the silent pandemic, VAW kills and spreads like a virus, affecting not only the perpetrators, but even the victims, their children, and their household members, who may become either victims or perpetrators themselves.
Let us heal ourselves so that we can live a healthy and VAW-free lifestyle. We need an anti-VAW vaccine that teaches our immune system to recognize and fight the virus-causing violence. This vaccine is our collective choice to change mindsets shaped by our culture, societal beliefs, and personal traumas.
6. VAW is a toxic norm that needs to be eradicated
Despite being a country that values family, we cannot deny the fact that not every Filipino belongs to a happy, complete, and violence-free family because VAW can begin in the home.
Let us transform ourselves, strengthen families and relationships, and rebuild our homes, communities, and the country. The “Bagong Pilipinas” campaign resonates with what the PCW advocates for. By transforming our minds, we can transform our lives and create a ripple effect of radical change. Dahil sa bagong Pilipinas, ayaw natin ng dahas!
7. VAW is a public crime that must be prevented, exposed, and punished
RA 9262 or the Anti-VAWC Act categorizes VAW as a public offense, punishable by law, and may be prosecuted upon the filing of a complaint by any citizen who has personal knowledge of the circumstances involving the commission of the crime.
Let us all be vigilant in addressing, reporting, and preventing VAW, not just during the 18-day Campaign period, but every day of the year.
May this commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Anti-VAWC Act along with the 2024 observance of the 18-day Campaign to End VAW be a turning point. Let us strive to make this advocacy something that we believe in with every fiber of our being, resonating with our core values as a nation and recognizing VAW as an enemy of the Filipino people.
Let us work hand in hand to eradicate and prevent this pervasive violence that ruins lives, destroys homes, tarnishes relationships, breaks communities, cripples economies, and steals the future of countless women and girls. Let us be the collective voice that echoes in every corner of this country: Time NOW to end VAW!
With the 2022–2027 recurring campaign theme, “UNiTEd for a VAW-free Philippines” and the 2024 sub-theme, “VAW Bigyang Wakas, Ngayon na ang Oras!” the PCW highlights the urgency of this advocacy. Together, let us build a “Bagong Pilipinas” where women are free from violence and where gender equality thrives—a place reminiscent of the pre-colonial era when Filipino women held positions of power, led communities, and were honored as equals of men.
Let us not wait any longer: VAW bigyang wakas, ngayon na ang oras! Let us heed this call to create the future that we all envision: a VAW-free, Bagong Pilipinas!
1. UN Women. GOOD PRACTICES Based on the data under SDG Indicator 5.1.1. (New York: UN Women, 2021), 8, Accessed November 22, 2024, https://data.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/modules/sdg-files/localdata/5_1_1_good_practices.pdf.