PART 1 : Indigenous Women : Gender and Human Rights Violations
A. General Recommendation Number 12 and 19 : Violence Against Women
We welcome the National VAW Documentation System that intends to respond
to VAW in the country. We however note that in the intake and other forms,6
there is no ethnicity indicator making it impossible to draw ample data and
analysis as to VAW and indigenous women. The closest indicator to this is the
address but even that is not enough to establish ethnic identity. We note with
importance that in addition to the state obligation to provide data, paragraph #
30 of the Concluding Comments of the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women re : Philippine’s combined 5th and 6th Periodic
Report states that : “The Committee requests the State party to include in its
next report sex-disaggregated data and information on the de facto position of
rural, indigenous and Muslim women, and on the impact of measures taken and
results achieved with policies and programmes implemented for these groups of
women. “7
A documentation exercise by indigenous women and peoples’ organizations in
the Cordillera Region and in Mindanao from 2013-2015 resulted to a total of 185
cases classified into 13 forms. At 32.43 %, domestic violence is the highest with
61 victims followed by political discrimination8 at 16. 76 % with more than 70
victims. Around twelve (11.89 %) percent of the cases are labor-related with 22
victims. Child abuse and sexual abuse/rape are both at 9.73 %. There are 5.95%
cases of abandonment with 11 victims. Cases of frustrated murder, murder,
massacre, physical violence, unjust vexation, bullying and land grabbing are all
below 8 %.
Based on the cases documented, domestic violence, generally ensues from
situations of
failure of the husband/partner to provide family support and
concubinage ( 22 cases) jealous rages and under influence of liquor. Attempts to
refer to authorities , whether in the formal or traditional systems, usually leads to
warnings to the perpetrator and advice for amicable settlement. While there are
some cases where the traditional justice system and the Barangay - the most
accessible government unit for redress mechanism, successfully intervened in
stopping domestic violence, in most cases, full resolution is impeded by the
6http://www.chr.gov.ph/MAIN%20PAGES/about%20hr/downloadable/VAWHandbook.pdfhttp://w
ww.chr.gov.ph/MAIN%20PAGES/about%20hr/downloadable/VAWHandbook.pdf
7Committee
on
the
Elimination
of
Discrimination
against
WomenThirty-‐sixth
session,Concluding
Comments
of
the
Committee
on
the
Elimination
of
Discrimination
against
Women:
Philippines
(CEDAW/C/PHI/CO/6
)
8
Includes
cases
involving
of
acts
vilification/
red-‐tagging,
illegal
entry,
search
and
seizure
of
private
property,
harrassment,
threat,
intimidation,
surveillance,
bombing
and
strafing,
public
disturbance,
indiscriminate
firing,
encampment
in
civilian
houses
and
public
facilities
8