Sexual Harassment (in Public Spaces and Online) Safe Spaces Act: Addressing Sexual Harassment in Public Spaces including Online Gender-Based Sexual Harassment  (R.A. 11313) Republic Act 11313, otherwise known as Safe Spaces Act, expands the scope of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995, or Republic Act 7877. The Safe Spaces Act includes acts of gender-based sexual harassment committed in streets and public spaces including restaurants and cafes, bars and clubs, resorts and water parks, hotels and casinos, cinemas, malls, building and other privately owned places open to the public, public utility vehicles, as well as online sexual harassment. The law was signed in April 2018 but took effect only in August 2019. Its Implementing Rules and Regulations was signed, 90 days after it took effect, on October 28, 2019. Gender-based sexual harassment committed in streets and public spaces are any acts of unwanted and uninvited sexual actions or remarks against any person regardless of the motive behind such actions or remarks, such as: ↗ Any acts that are unwanted and has threatened one’s sense of personal space and physical safety, and committed in streets and public spaces1 ↗ Acts of making offensive body gestures at someone for the sexual gratification of the perpetrator with the effect of demeaning, harassing, threatening, or intimidating the offended party,2 ↗ Stalking, and touching, pinching, or brushing against any part of the victim’s body, whether accompanied or not by the acts previously described. Gender-based online sexual harassment includes acts that use information and communications technology in terrorizing and intimidating victims through: ↗ physical, psychological, and emotional threats; ↗ unwanted sexual misogynistic, transphobic, homophobic and sexist remarks and comments online whether publicly or thorugh direct and private messages; ↗ invasion of privacy through cyberstalking and incessant messaging; ↗ uploading and sharing any form of media that contains photos, voice or video with sexual content without the victim’s consent; ↗ any unauthorized recording and sharing of any of the victim’s photos, videos, or any information online; ↗ impersonating identities of victims online or posting lies about the victim to harm their reputation; or ↗ filing false abuse reports to online platforms to silence victims. ¹  Catcalling, including wolf-whistling, and misogynistic, transphobic, homophobic and sexist slurs; cursing, taunting, unwanted invitations; leering and intrusive gazing; persistent uninvited comments or gestures on a person’s appearance; relentless requests for personal details such as name, contact and social media details or destination; the use of words, gestures, or actions that ridicule on the basis of sex. gender or sexual orientation. gender identity and expression, misogynistic, transphobic, homophobic and sexist statements and slurs; persistent telling of sexual jokes, use of sexual names; or Use of sexual names, comments and demands ²  Public masturbation; exposing or flashing of private parts; groping; or any sexual and similar lewd advances whether verbal or physical 14 15