CEDAW/C/PHI/5-6 Sections 13 and 14 (as contained in CSC Resolution 021420-2002) now provides maternity leave for unmarried women in government. 127. In an attempt to affect the cultural practices and norms on parenting, RA 8187, or the Paternity Leave Act of 1996, was passed (see also paragraph 364 under Article 11). 128. Measures introduced during the period of review are: Proclamation No. 731 of 5 February 1996, declaring the second week of February as National Awareness Week for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation; Proclamation No. 759 of 6 March 1996 declaring the fourth week of March 1996 as protection and gender-fair treatment of the girl child week; Proclamation No. 976 of 25 February 1997 declaring the period January to December 1997 as Anti-Migrant Trafficking Year; and Presidential Directive of 5 February 1997 entitled “Call to Action Against Domestic Violence.” 129. Besides the Women’s Convention, the Philippines is a State Party to other human rights conventions and treaties, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child including the two Optional Protocols, and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers. 130. The Philippine Commission on Human Rights (PCHR), a constitutional body, monitors the implementation of these conventions and national policies on human rights. It also issues policies such as the Advisory dated 20 July 1999 which required pertinent government agencies to look into the welfare of detained persons including women and juvenile offenders. On 31 October 2001, it issued a policy on “Sexual Abuse and Torture of Women in Custody,” instructing the same agencies and the national police and the Armed Forces to look into human rights violations committed against women in custody; to implement specific measures that will protect the rights of female detainees against rape, sexual abuse or torture, as well as threats, reprisals or any other form of intimidation; and to recruit an adequate number of women police officers to specialize in VAW cases. Moreover, the PCHR prepared a Philippine Human Rights Plan, which has a section devoted to women’s human rights. C. PROGRAMS AND SOME RESULTS Measures to Protect Women’s Human Rights 131. PCHR includes a module on women’s rights in its regular human rights training or advocacy courses for the police, military and other groups; conducts seminars for NGOs and government agencies to promote cooperation in its human rights programs; and runs gender sensitivity training for its national and regional officers and personnel. It also investigates complaints of human rights violations and provides legal assistance to complainants. To bring its services to the grassroots and urge women to file complaints, it created barangay human rights action centers in 14,940 villages, and forged agreements with the justice department and volunteer lawyer groups for speedy legal services to victims. The centers receive complaints of human rights violations, monitor the progress of the cases and refer them to the PCHR regional field offices. From 1995 to June 2001, PCHR investigated 377 cases of violation of women’s human rights. The complaints ranged from murder/homicide/execution (8.5 percent), illegal 47

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