The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) cites the 2017 National
Demographic and Health Survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA) that stated that “one in four Filipino women aged 15-49
has experienced physical, emotional or sexual violence” by their
respective husbands or partners (PCW, 2020).
VAW is a gender-based violence resulting in, or is “likely to result in
physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering ro women, including
threats of such acts, coerción or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether
occurring in public and private life” (UN, 1993). It is “any act or a series of
acts committed by any person against a woman with whom the person has
a common child, or against her child whether legitimate or illegitimate,
with or without the family abode, which result in or is likely to result in
physical, sexual, psychological harm or suffering, or economic abuse
including threats of such acts, battery, assault, coerción, harassment or
arbitratry deprivation of liberty” (R.A. No. 9262, Sec.2).
The PCW has noted the impacts of VAW as follows: (1) it strikes the
woman’s personhood; (2) it limits or restricts human development; (3) it
further drains the country’s financial resources; and (4) it is an issue of
governance (PCW, 2020).
The signing of Proclamation 1172, Series of 2006, saw the annual
observance of an 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women and
Children as agencies and governments raise and heighten awareness on
VAW.
In the Zamboanga Peninsula, VAW incidents have likewise been reported,
however, there have been no definite research on the status of genderbased violence in the three provinces in the región.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Regional Office 9 has noted and
observed the lack of well-founded research on VAW, particularly on nonpursuance of cases by victims even following the filing of complaints and
reporting of incidents for pólice blotters.
With all these efforts by the state on information dissemination, the
incidents of violence continue to surge.
Hence, this study.
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