CEDAW/C/SR.1405
psychological and economic needs of such victims and was running in all 17 regions of the
country, including the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. A conditional cash
transfer programme also provided support for victims of trafficking and for their families.
63.
The men’s organization Men Opposed to Violence Against Women Everywhere
(MOVE) was actively involved in fighting discrimination against women and was currently
finalizing a manual to ensure that all male employees and service users in the Department
engaged with the organization. The Empowerment and Reaffirmation of Paternal Abilities
programme sought to promote the importance of the role of fathers and the sharing of
household tasks and to eliminate machismo and traditional gender roles.
64.
Ms. Rebong (Philippines) said that the Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking
would forward to the Committee in due course the statistics requested on human trafficking,
disaggregated by age and sex.
65.
Ms. De Dios (Philippines) said that the Government recognized that sustained
efforts were required in order to reduce the stereotyping of women. The media industry had
set up a self-regulating mechanism to sanction outlets which demeaned women, and any
outlets that did so could be suspended for a period of time. Guidelines had been sent to
media outlets on how women and children should be portrayed; any outlet violating the
guidelines would face administrative penalties and could potentially face a congressional
hearing on the matter. The Philippine Commission on Women in particular had spoken out
against the use in the media of degrading language by public officials.
66.
The passing of the Anti-Prostitution Bill had been delayed because the repeal of
article 202, on vagrancy and prostitution, of the Criminal Code was still being processed.
Currently, only the Anti-Trafficking Law penalized the demand side of prostitution. Every
effort would be made, however, to ensure that the bill was a priority for the incoming
Government.
67.
Ms. Jahan asked whether an anti-stalking ordinance was in place; whether the age
for statutory rape would be raised from 16 to 18; what action the State party intended to
take regarding the recommendation of the Commission on Human Rights for all officials
employed by the Civil Service Commission to undergo mandatory gender sensitivity
training; and what was being done to combat the phenomenon of online broadcasting of the
sexual abuse of children, particularly girls, by family members.
68.
Ms. Pajarito (Philippines) said that, with regard to the online broadcasting of the
sexual abuse of children by family members, the Government was strengthening its
partnerships with the authorities of other nations, including the United States of America,
the Netherlands and Australia. In one particular case, a foreign government had provided an
IP address, which the national authorities had successfully tracked to a location in
Mindanao. The victims in the cases were not required to testify: cases could be brought
based on electronic evidence and the testimony of law enforcement officials. In April 2016,
a case had been successfully prosecuted based on the testimony of national and foreign law
enforcement officials.
69.
Ms. Rebong (Philippines) said that the Civil Service Commission training
programme had been in place prior to the recommendation made by the Commission on
Human Rights; however, the Government needed to intensify its efforts to reach all
officials at the highest and lowest levels of the Civil Service Commission.
70.
Ms. Verzosa (Philippines) said that Quezon City had recently passed an ordinance
on the stalking and harassment of women as part of a pilot initiative under the Safe Cities
programme run by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of
Women (UN-Women), and it was hoped that more ordinances would follow in other cities.
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