Representatives of women’s organizations in Negros Oriental called on legislators to include among their platforms of government a strong policy support to address pressing issues and concerns affecting women and children. As it has been observed today, women and children are considered as the most vulnerable sectors of society who need to be among the priority list in any legislative agenda.
In the latest statistics provided by the Philippine National Police, the number of reported cases on violence against women in the country increased to more than 500 percent in the past 16 years.
Records culled from the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NOPPO)-Women and Children’s Desks showed a continued increase in the number of cases involving violations of Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act. In 2020, there were 1,734 cases of violence reported, while in 2022, the figure increased considerably to 2,684 or a marked surge by 54.79 percent.
The docketed cases ranged from physical abuse, which got the most number of cases brought to the attention of the NOPPO, followed by psychological and emotional abuse, then economic abuse.
In 2021, child abuse cases reached 1,155 involving 628 girls and 527 boys, while those who violated the law against violence on women and children numbered 1,539. Abuses committed against women and children include physical, sexual, psychological, and economic.
In an effort to protect and empower themselves despite their unfortunate experiences as abused women, 24 women from the municipality of Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental have formed themselves into an association and availed of livelihood programs from the government.
Calling themselves as the Kapunungan sa mga Kababaihan sa Manalongon (KAKAMA), it has also received livelihood programs under the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Fifty-five-year-old Elizabeth Sol of Barangay Manalongon, Sta. Catalina narrated that she was abused by her husband for more than 10 years. “I chose to stay in the relationship for the sake of my children, and I just accepted my fate,” lamented Elizabeth.
These women did not report their case to the police, but took the initiative instead to organize themselves to help each other fight violence and assist would-be survivors of violence.
To date, the group has spearheaded assistance to at least 10 abused women who sought their help to have temporary shelter in the barangay hall or in some concerned citizens’ houses in nearby areas.
Members of KAKAMA have been actively involved in helping these abused women, some of whom have been active in the Kalahi-CIDSS program implementation as volunteers.
Sol, a KAKAMA and Kalahi-CIDSS volunteer, served as member of the monitoring and inspection team for the community’s project, which is the improvement of the Manalongon water system.
The water system project has benefited 152 households. Sol, incidentally, is the water bill collector for each household member-beneficiary.
Barangay Manalongon has received a Gender Incentive Grant (GIG), a complementary grant fund provided by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to fund identified gender issues in a barangay/municipality.
With this, KAKAMA received a gender and development training that enabled them to widen their knowledge on gender equalities and their rights through the series of seminars and trainings.
The women’s group together with the Kalahi volunteers are trained on Gender and Development (GAD) that provided the women with clear understanding of their rights and affirmed their passion to support other women victims of violence.
“Kung wala pa lang na ang mga balaod nga amo nahibaw-an, di jud na mahunong ang pag pang abuso (If there have been no laws like the laws that we just have learned from the training, abuses against women and children will not stop),” said Judith Narciso, 65, KAKAMA president.
Narciso said that through the training, the husbands in their community learned about the consequences if they violated the law. In a similar manner, the women also learned their rights and how to defend themselves. The learning they received from the training inspired these women to become advocates of women’s rights.
Moreover, Barangay Manalongon received an incentive grant from Millennium Challenge Corporation. Cognizant of the need for a temporary shelter for the victims of violence against women and children, the KAKAMA has proposed for another project for the construction of a Crisis Center for Women.
Evangeline Pausal, KAKAMA treasurer and herself a survivor of violence, shared that GAD seminars and the Kalahi-CIDSS’ initiative in widening their knowledge and preparing them to be advocates of the rights of women helped them in achieving its objectives.
The completion of the Crisis Center boosted the confidence of KAKAMA to serve these victims of violence.
“We are really thankful to Kalahi-CIDSS Gender Incentive Grant for giving us the knowledge and for guiding us to be good advocates for women’s rights. For me, this is the greatest legacy. While I am still here, I will never stop my journey in helping other victims and put a stop to violence against women and children,” said Pausal.
Today, Elizabeth, Judith, and Evangeline are busy attending trainings held by the local government unit, especially trainings on gender. Some of the KAKAMA members have served as resource persons on trainings about gender and development. | NWI
