CORE MESSAGES ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN (VAW)

♀ VAW is a human rights issue. It strikes at the personhood of women and limits human
development.
♀ VAW is violence that is gender‐based. Gender‐based violence means that women are
subjected to violence or abuse because they are women. Factors such as class, race,
educational background, age or even looks are but secondary to the gender factor in this
case.
♀ VAW is not limited to physical abuse. VAW can also take the form of emotional, verbal,
psychological, economic and sexual abuse.
♀ Domestic violence or VAW in the family is violence that occurs within the private sphere,
generally between individuals who are related through intimacy, blood or law.
♀ Recent Philippine laws related to VAW include:
o RA 7877 (Anti Sexual Harassment Act)
o RA 8353 (Anti Rape Law)
o RA 8505 (Rape Victim Assistance Act)
o RA 9208 (Anti Trafficking in Persons Act)
o RA 9262 (Anti Violence Against Women and Their Children Act)
o RA 9710 (Magna Carta of Women Act – Section 12)
o RA 9995 (Photo and Video Voyeurism Act)

VAW STATISTICS (PHILIPPINES)

The 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) conducted among women aged
15‐49, revealed that:

Physical violence:
o One in five women experienced physical violence since age 15
o 37% of separated or widowed women experienced physical violence

Sexual violence:
o Almost one in 10 women have experienced sexual violence
o One in 25 women experienced forced first sexual intercourse

 Women are not safe even in their own homes! 14.4% of married women
experienced physical abuse from their husband

 Women who are pregnant also experience physical violence, putting both the
mother and the unborn child at risk! Almost four out of 100 women experience
physical violence during pregnancy
  Most victims of VAW did not seek help from the police or a social service
organization. Among women who experience violence:
o 26.9% fought back verbally
o 21.2% fought back physically
o 17.5% sought help to try to stop the violence, among which,
 45.1% from their own family
 28.5% from friends and neighbors
 14.5% from in‐laws
 9.3% went to the police
 6% went to a social service organization
 The survey also surfaced negative consequences of spousal violence. Of the women
who experienced physical/sexual violence from their spouse:
o One in three reported having physical injuries such as cuts, bruises or aches
o More than 10% reported to have suffered eye injuries, sprains, dislocations
or burns
o Three in five reported experiencing psychological consequences like
depression, anxiety and anger
o More than 10% reported to have attempted to commit suicide

From January to July 2012, the Women and Children Protection Center of the Philippine
National Police (PNP) recorded 9,693 VAW cases.

 Year 2010 has the highest number of reported VAW cases since year 1997; reaching
15,104 VAW cases. Of the said total number of reported VAW cases:
o 9,974 were on RA9262 (Anti‐VAWC Law)
o 2,018 were on physical injuries (non‐RA9262)
o 1,061 were on Rape
 It should be noted that VAW incidents reported to the PNP is not conclusive of the
total number and trend of increase or decrease of VAW incidence in the country
because data are based only on what is being reported to the PNP.