CEDAW/C/PHI/4 English Page 22 26. Cases of rape and other incidences of violence against women had been increasing within the last four years but only a number of offenders have been apprehended and convicted. Women victims, in most cases, refuse to report the crimes committed against them for fear of reprisal from the offenders, humiliation accompanying the stigma of rape, insensitive police officers and investigators handling their cases and the gruelling and lengthy period of court trials. 27. In response to this problem, several institutional responses have been put in place: (a) A presidential directive (8 March 1993) which established women's desks in 198 police stations; (b) Government and non-governmental organizations have set up centres for women victims of violence: (i) The Department of Social Welfare and Development "Substitute home care for women in especially difficult circumstances"; (ii) The Congressional Spouses Foundation's (CSF) halfway house and sanctuary for women victims of violent circumstances was recently inaugurated and is now fully operational; (iii) The Department of Health and NCRFW, in cooperation with a non-governmental organization, the Women's Crisis Center (WCC), initiated implementation of Project HAVEN (Hospital Assistance for Women Victims/Survivors of Violent Environment), a pilot hospitalbased crisis centre located at the East Avenue Medical Center providing services to women victims of violence; (iv) (v) National Bureau of Investigation crisis centre for women and children victims of violence; Third World Movement Against Exploitation of Women, a non-governmental organization, has set up halfway houses for prostituted women. 28. These efforts notwithstanding, violence against women remains a serious problem nationwide. Strong public education is necessary. Creation of the Bureau of Women's Welfare in the Department of Social Welfare and Development 29. Executive Order 123, Section 13, provides for the creation of the Bureau of Women's Welfare (BWW) in the Department with specific attention to the prevention and eradication of the exploitation of women in any form, such as, but not limited to, prostitution and illegal recruitment, as well as the promotion of skills for employment and self-actualization. /...