EnGendeRights, Inc.
Asserting Gender Equality
June 10, 2016
TO: CEDAW Secretariat
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais Wilson -52, rue des Pâquis
CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland
Email: cedaw@ohchr.org
Cc: iwraw-ap@iwraw-ap.org
RE: Gender-based Violence, Marriage, and Family Relations Report for the 64th
CEDAW Session (Review on the Philippines)
EnGendeRights is submitting this report to provide independent information on genderbased violence (GBV), marriage, and family laws in the Philippines. This submission is
intended to assist the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
(the Committee) during its 64th Session in July 2016 for its review of the Philippines’
compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW).
The State is mandated to refrain from engaging in violence against women (VAW), to
exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and, punish acts of VAW and to provide
access to just and effective remedies including medical assistance to victims; to take
appropriate and effective action whether those acts are perpetrated by the State, by
private persons or by armed groups or warring factions.1
1. State of Philippine Laws, Policies, and Practices on GBV
A. Rape (Article 1, 2, 3, 6; General Recommendation 19)
There is a high incidence of rape in the Philippines with one woman raped every 71
minutes based on 2014 Philippine National Police (PNP) statistics. Reports of rape-slays
are also commonplace. Despite the Anti-Rape Law of 1997 and the Rape Victim
Assistance and Protection Act of 1998, numerous rape complaints are dismissed by
prosecutors and judges,2 showing that many rape survivors are not given credence and are
denied justice. Many judges and public prosecutors still do not understand the realities
of rape as GBV.3
Adding to the problem of numerous rape complaint dismissals, is the proposed bill
decreasing the penalty for rape and shortening the prescriptive period for rape under the
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