Key Result Area 5 Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children Overview Violence against women and children (VAWC) is not only a violation of human rights, it is also a public health concern. Studies have shown that violence prevents women and children from accessing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services31. The RPRH Act of 2012 recognizes that “gender equality and women’s empowerment are central elements of reproductive health and population and development”. 32 For this reason, the Act urges national agencies to take more strategic actions to curb the number of VAWC cases. 31 Gender-based violence: a barrier to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/ full/10.1016/j.rhm.2016.07.001 on April 2020. 32 Section 3 (m) of the RPRH Law. Retrieved from https://lawphil.net/ statutes/repacts/ra2012/ra_10354_2012.html on April 2020 The Inter-Agency Council on Violence against Women and Children issued Resolution 2, Series of 2018 which urges member agencies to operationalize the Strategic Plan 2017-2022 and include in their annual agency appropriations, starting 2019 onwards, the funding needed to implement the Plan’s programs and services. 33 Among the key strategies and actions taken in response to VAWC are the various national and local campaigns, field testing of the enhanced VAW intake form and the national mapping of available VAW services. 33 IACVAWC is composed of DSWD, CSC, CHR, PCW, CWC, DILG, DOJ, PNP, DOH, DepEd, DOLE and NBI. Status,Trends and Accomplishments According to the Philippine National Police (PNP), there were 19,743 recorded cases of violence against women (VAW) in the country in 2019. Of this figure, 77 percent, or 15,160 was committed in violation of the Anti-VAWC Law or under the intimate partner relationship category. Other cases include other forms of gender-based violence such as rape with 2,341 cases, acts of lasciviousness with 1,953 cases, concubinage with 204 cases and sexual harassment with 85 cases. Table 18 shows that there was a significant drop in the number of reported cases of VAW to the PNP. It decreased by almost 27 percent from 25,572 in 2017 to 18,748 in 2018; although it slightly increased by 5 percent from 2018 to 2019. Table 18: VAW cases by legal violation Type of Incident VAWC (R.A. 9262) Rape (R.A. 8353) Act of Lasciviousness (Art. 336 of RPC) Concubinage (Art. 334 of RPC) Sexual Harassment (R.A. 7877) Total 2017 20,275 2,707 2,259 2018 14,116 2,319 2,020 2019 15,160 2,341 1,953 211 165 204 120 128 85 25,572 18,748 19,743 Source: Philippine National Police 85 2019 2019Annual AnnualReport Report Responsible ResponsibleParenthood Parenthoodand andReproductive ReproductiveHealth HealthAct Actofof2012 2012 85