The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women called on states to
"use all appropriate means of a legislative, political, economic, social and
administrative nature in order to promote and protect all human rights and
fundamental freedoms of women and girls". It likewise urges states to "increase
measures to protect women and girls from violence and harassment, including
sexual harassment and bullying, in both public and private spaces, to address
security and safety, through awareness-raising, involvement of local communities,
crime prevention laws, and policies".3
According to a February zot6 Social Yfeather Stations survey, 58 percent of
sexual harassment occurred in streets, major roads, and alleys, with majority of
physical harassment happening in public transport vehicles. Street harassment
which is the most common form of sexual harassment has been defined as
"unwanted comments, gestures, and actions forced on a stranger in a public place
without their consent and is directed at them because of their actual or perceived
sex, gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation."+ Street harassment is a
human rights issue because it limits harassed persons' ability to be in public,
especially women.
In this digital age, sexual harassment also happens online, commonly
through the use of social media and social networking platforms. There have been
media reports of female protesters being sexually harassed online via Facebook
groups where people post sexually explicit pictures and videos of women and
express sexually offensive and expletive remarks against womens. Hence, we
support Section 4 of HB 5956 that includes online sexual harassment. As stated in
the inputs of the Commission on Human Rights in the Human Rights Council
Resolutiongzltg on the protection, promotion and enjoyment of human rights on
the internet, "the internet can be a place to gather information, participate in
discourse, express ourselves and our opinions. However, it can also be used for
human righr abuses against people of all ages, gender, identities and political
affiliations from all over the country"6
We should recognize that derogatory acts and sexual statements are not
limited to women as people of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and
expression have been and continue to be victims of sexual harassment through
homophobic and transphobic statements, !t'€"'r,ee the importance of the initiatives
that includes in Section S of HB 5956 where such acts constitute gender-based
harassment.
General Recommendation No. 19 of the CEDAW Committee states that
gender-based violence which includes sexual harassment hinders women from
enjoying the rights on the basis of gender equalityz. As such, according to the
Recc:nmendation No. 35 of the same Committee, it is incumbent upon the
3
UN Commission on the Status of Women report on the fifty-seventh session. ElCN.6l2013/Ll
4
w
Stop Street Harassment's working definition of gender-based street harassment. Stop Street Harassment (SSH) is
a nonprofit organization dedicated to documenting and addressing and ending gende.-based street harassment
worldwide (See: http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/abo.'+/rr,rhat-is-street-harassment/)
s
http://cnnphilippines.com /newsl20L6/LL/2LlMarcos-burial-r.rr '.rne-threats-sexual-attacks-misogyny.html
Commission on Human Rights lnputs to the HRC Resolution 32/L3 on the Promotion, Protection and Enjoyment
of Human Rights on the lnternet.
https://www.ohchr.orglDocuments/lssues/Women/WRGS/GenderDigital/CHR-Philippines.pdf
7
CEDAW Committee General Recommendation no. 19
6
2