the prosecutor’s office. This absence of sign language interpreters for deaf complainants disproportionately place the burden on survivors - to pay for and procure their own sign language interpreters, to seek for advocacy groups to help them, or to seek assistance with the Commission. With the adoption of the Filipino Sign Language Law, this has to change. Accessibility of interpreters should be mainstreamed in government offices, and processes should be adopted to ensure accessible complaint mechanisms for women with different kinds of disability, and other groups of marginalized women and individuals. Additionally, the burden of filing complaints in the context of a pandemic should be taken into consideration, and support therefor be provided - including supporting presence of SLIs, providing transportation support, ensuring shelters are open, and psychosocial and other services available remotely. Lastly, we stress our continuing concern over the rising number of GBV committed in online spaces. In our series of webinars on Safe Spaces in April to May, and then in August, and in the results of our Regional Mapping of GBV referral mechanisms -it is evident that cases of GBV committed in online spaces remain very high. With work shifting primarily in digital and online spaces, online sexual exploitation remains high - committed mostly against children, young girls, and against women. Because of the nature of cyberspace, because of the anonymity offered and intractability of perpetrators, these kinds of GBV proliferate with many barriers in accessing remedies. In the Safe Spaces webinars, cases raised include unauthorized distribution of private sexually explicit content, among students and also adults. In one case from the GBV portal on rape, the rape video was posted and reposted online. Even with the intervention of the Commission and with letter requests to Facebook, taking down took long, with several reposting in many other sites. All these highlight the continuing challenges in addressing GBV committed in online spaces and of the need to further strengthen referral mechanisms and response. In addition to the Commission’s protection work in relation to gender-based violence, policy advisory and human rights advocacy to protect women and girls from GBV continue in the Commission’s Central and Regional Offices. The Gender Based Violence Observatory continue to house relevant data and research on GBV, while the Commission consistently issued advisories and positions papers for pending legislations in the Central and Regional Office level. A supplemental position paper on the SOGIE Equality Bill was submitted to Congress this year, as well as position papers supporting the passage of the Gender Responsive and Inclusive Pandemic management response bill50, and the proposed bill prohibiting child marriages51. The Commission’s regional offices have likewise been very active in issuing statements and advisories that address GBV, for instance CHR-IX in Zamboanga City issued an advisory in July 2021 on icestous rape and protectin of victim survivors of rape. The advisory was issued in response to the Region’s observation that incestous rape in the region has increased in 2019-2020. More specifically, the region recorded 25 cases of incestous rape from 2019 to 2020, and the advisroy serves to remind the State of its obligation to protect girls from violence, and to ensure access to justice, access to mental health services, 50 CHR. Position paper on the gender responsive and inclusive pandemic management. 21 June 2021 CHR. Position paper on the proposed measures protecting children by prohibiting and declaring child marriages as illegal. 15 June 2021 51 12