CEDAW/C/PHI/5-6 A. ACTIONS TAKEN 116. The Philippines has adopted laws to correct the historical disadvantages of women in various aspects of life. These include laws prohibiting discrimination in employment, removing obstacles to women’s entry into the police and the military, and criminalizing sexual harassment in educational and training environment and in the workplace. 117. Over this reporting period, a number of legislation addressing violence against women and related discrimination were passed. These are: a. RA 8353, or the Anti-Rape Law of 1997, which redefines and expands rape from being a crime against chastity to being a crime against person. It expands the definition to include not just penile penetration but also insertion of any object. It recognizes implicitly marital rape when it refers to cases where the offender is the legal husband. However, it extinguishes criminal action or penalty if the wife victim subsequently forgives the offender. b. RA 8505, or the Rape Victim Assistance and Protection Act of 1998, which establishes rape crisis centers in every province and municipality, to provide counseling, free legal assistance and ensure the privacy and safety of rape survivors. It also tasks government to train law enforcement officers, public prosecutors, lawyers, medico-legal officers, social workers and barangay officials on human rights and responsibilities, gender sensitivity and legal management of rape cases. The DSWD is convening an inter-agency committee for the implementation of the law. c. RA 9208, or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, which, is discussed in greater detail under Article 6, establishes policies, necessary institutional mechanisms, and sanctions and penalties to traffickers and the like so as to eliminate trafficking in persons, especially women and children, and protect and support trafficked persons. d. RA 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004, which is also discussed in Article 6, aims to protect women and their children from physical, psychological and economic abuses in the context of marital, dating or common-law relationships. 118. Other laws and policy statements addressing the effects of discrimination, even if unintended, are reported under relevant articles. B. REMAINING ISSUES AND OBSTACLES 119. A legal definition of discrimination against women that is aligned with the definition in Article 1 of the Women’s Convention has not been put into law. 120. There is a need for wider awareness raising on what constitutes discrimination against women, what is implied by de facto equality between men and women and what forms part of the obligations of the State as well as private individuals and organizations to respect, protect and fulfill the human rights of women. The target should include not only agents of the State— from legislators to law enforcers and program implementers—but also the citizenry or claimants of rights who are both men and women from across the various socio-economic groups. 45