By Shanley Gonzaga & Megan Trevail |
Illustrated by Elliot Dimasuhid
“We, women, will not truly be free when our basic rights are routinely denied to us. We must continue to fight; there is no other way,” Senator Risa Hontiveros said during the celebration of International Women’s Day last March 8, 2023. Commitment towards maintaining equality to eradicate prejudices has been one of the struggles in implementing laws in the Philippines. Discrimination against women has been rampant in Filipino society, which can be reflected in how Filipinas are violated within the community. With the misogynistic hierarchal idea of sex and gender, Filipino women and girls across the globe experience domestic, sexual, physical, verbal, mental, and emotional violence. Furthermore, this includes discrimination in other aspects, such as education and equal wage. Hence, variations of laws are employed in order to protect the rights of Filipino women. Although there are more discussions in the Philippines about the health and safety of women, these alone are inadequate to stop violence from happening in the future—most women still believe that sufficiency regarding safety and protection of women against harmful conducts are not secured.
A step forward
With the changes brought about by the digital age, a series of revisions were made to solidify the relevant concepts of laws for human rights. In the previous years, significant advancements in women's legislation have been made, with the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) and Gabriela Women's Partylist in the vanguard of policymaking. PCW cites existing laws that serve as protective measures, including the Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against Women and their Children (IACVAWC) established under Republic Act (RA) 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004, and the Magna Carta for Women, which ensures that Violence Against Women (VAW) desks are present in every barangay unit. The PCW also supported the 105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave Law, the amendment that raised the age of statutory rape from 12 to 16 years old under the Anti-Rape Law, and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Law.
On-the-ground realities
However, in spite of that, numerous cases of violence against women were still recorded in the past years. In fact, it intensified during the pandemic as most of these women were identified as 'stay-at-home' workers or individuals. With the government prioritizing the solutions to be applied for the emergence of the COVID-19 virus, the rate recorded for the number of domestic violence spiked to 63%. Thus, this only shows how policies without the existence of concrete action can take a toll on the safety of individuals affected by the implementation of laws.
Nothing can be achieved if the system itself is not properly fit to serve and protect women from violence and discrimination, hence, the need for better governance. Women need to be more involved in the decision-making process and involve more lawmakers that can sympathize with Filipino women on a deeper level. Having women in positions of power will help enable the creation of laws that serve their purpose.
Traditionally, women are seen as caring and nurturing mothers or housewives. Even as children, we are told that men go to work and women take care of household chores and family duties. But frankly, this mindset is outdated and inconsistent with this generation’s beliefs. Women want to go to work, women want equal pay and opportunities, and women want to be treated as men are treated—with respect. That said, laws and policies can only do so much; change should start at the core. The Philippines' legislation and protections for women must continue to be improved by stepping up advocacy efforts and implementing concrete plans for violence against women, existing bills, assistance lines, and facilities for rehabilitation for women. In addition, education amongst the youth, especially men, is a strong foundation for establishing a society that teaches men to see women as equals.
Keeping this in mind, to truly build applicable laws that would outdo the ones we have today and truly protect women, we must work with the aforementioned factor: better governance, putting women in positions of power, and early education—to mold a nation that produces women and men that embody the modern representation of an ideal individual.
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