REVIEWS OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

Foreign literature

Violence against children can be prevented. Preventing and responding to violence against

children requires that efforts systematically address risk and protective factors at all four

interrelated levels of risk (individual, relationship, community, society). Under the leadership of

WHO, a group of 10 international agencies have developed and endorsed an evidence-based

technical package called INSPIRE: Seven strategies for ending violence against children. The

package aims to help countries and communities achieve SDG Target 16.2 on ending violence

against children. Each letter of the word INSPIRE stands for one of the strategies, and most have

been shown to have preventive effects across several different types of violence, as well as benefits

in areas such as mental health, education and crime reduction. The seven strategies are:

Implementation and enforcement of laws (for example, banning violent discipline and restricting

access to alcohol and firearms);Norms and values change (for example, altering norms that

condone the sexual abuse of girls or aggressive behavior among boys);Safe environments (such as

identifying neighborhood “hot spots” for violence and then addressing the local causes through

problem-oriented policing and other interventions);Parental and caregiver support (for example,

providing parent training to young, first time parents);Income and economic strengthening (such

as microfinance and gender equity training);Response services provision (for example, ensuring

that children who are exposed to violence can access effective emergency care and receive

appropriate psychosocial support); and Education and life skills (such as ensuring that children

attend school, and providing life and social skills training)

 May 2016 World Health Assembly resolution endorsed the first ever WHO Global plan of

action on strengthening the role of the health system within a national multisectoral response to

address interpersonal violence, in particular against women and girls, and against children.

According to this plan, WHO in collaboration with Member States and other partners, is committed

to: Monitoring the global magnitude and characteristics of violence against children and

supporting country efforts to document and measure such violence. Maintaining an electronic

information system that summarizes the scientific data on the burden, risk factors and

consequences of violence against children, and the evidence for its preventability. Developing and

disseminating evidence-based technical guidance documents, norms and standards for preventing

and responding to violence against children. Regularly publishing global status reports on country

efforts to address violence against children through national policies and action plans, laws,

prevention programs and response services. Supporting countries and partners in implementing

evidence-based prevention and response strategies, such as those included in INSPIRE: Seven

strategies for ending violence against children. Collaborating with international agencies and

organizations to reduce and eliminate violence against children globally, through initiatives such

as the Global Partnership to End Violence against Children, Together for Girls and the Violence

Prevention Alliance. (Mercy et, al. 2016)

Women’s right to live free from violence is upheld by international agreements such as

the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW),

especially through General Recommendations 12 and 19, and the 1993 UN Declaration on the

Elimination of Violence against Women. UN Women works with countries at the global level to

advance the international normative framework through support provided to inter-governmental

processes, such as the General Assembly and the CSW. At the country level, UN Women supports
Governments in adopting and enacting legal reforms aligned with international standards. We

partner with Governments, UN agencies, civil society organizations and other institutions to

advocate for ending violence, increase awareness of the causes and consequences of violence and

build capacity of partners to prevent and respond to violence. We also promote the need for

changing norms and behavior of men and boys, and advocate for gender equality and women’s

rights. UN Women supports expanding access to quality multi-sectoral responses for survivors

covering safety, shelter, health, justice and other essential services. Policy guidance helps to step

up investments in prevention—the most cost-effective, long-term means to stop violence. We work

with Governments to develop dedicated national action plans to prevent and address violence

against women, strengthening coordination among diverse actors required for sustained and

meaningful action. UN Women also advocates for the integration of violence in key international,

regional and national frameworks, such as the post-2015 development agenda. (unwomen.org)

Local literature

Police offices manning the Women and Children Protection Desks (WCPD) in Western

Visayas are armed with the necessary trainings to handle cases of violence against women and

children (VAWC). WCPD of Police Regional Office 6 are required to undergo gender sensitivity

training, specialized course for WCPD officers and criminal investigation course, among others.

There are about 445 of them assigned in all police stations region wide. When it comes to cases of

women and children, these are very sensitive, and officers handling these cases should be properly

trained to avoid discrimination and insensitivity. WCPDs are open 24 hours to accept complaints

and calls for assistance giving topmost importance on complaints on any abuses committed against
women and children or under Republic Act 9262 otherwise known as “The Anti-Violence Against

Women and Their Children Act of 2004”. Among the acts of violence or abuses covered by R.A.

9262 are physical violence, sexual violence, psychological violence, and economic abuse. Every

day, there is a reported case of violence against women. VAW cases significant decrease from

January to October this year in Western Visayas. Based on the latest statistics from PRO 6-WCPD,

a total of 2,338 cases of VAW were recorded across the region during the period which is 31.40

percent, or 1,070 cases decrease compared to the 3,408 cases for the same period in 2016. The

most prevalent act of violence is physical abuse numbering to 1,317. the significant drop is due to

the efforts made by the PNP in collaboration with the local government units and other concerned

agencies to end VAW such as strengthening of VAWC Desks through trainings and conduct of

advocacy activities in the prevention and reduction of abuse cases in the grassroots. President

Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign on illegal drugs has also contributed in the decrease of VAW cases.

Ilonggo’s continue to cooperate with their police to end VAW by helping stop the culture of silence

on violence and abuses committed against women. (French, 2017)

The Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against Women and Their Children (IACVAWC)

was created by virtue of Republic Act No. 9262 (Anti-Violence Against Women and Their

Children Act of 2004). To ensure the effective implementation of the law, twelve (12) agencies

specifically tasked to formulate programs and projects to eliminate VAW based on their respective

mandates, develop capability programs for their employees to become more sensitive to the needs

of their clients, and to monitor all VAW initiatives were convened to form the Council. These

agencies are: : Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD); Department of the

Interior and Local Government (DILG);Civil Service Commission (CSC), Commission on Human

Rights (CHR);Philippine Commission on Women (PCW);Department of Justice

(DOJ);Department of Health (DOH);Department of Education (DepEd);Department of Labor and

Employment (DOLE);Philippine National Police (PNP);Council for the Welfare of Children

(CWC);National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)

Foreign studies

In the study of (Guedes et, al. 2016) Implement and enforce laws criminalizing abuse and

exploitation of both women and children. Promote gender norms that do not accept violence

against women or violence against children. Improve access to safe and responsive prevention and

support services that are age and gender appropriate. Integrate material on gender socialization and

equal treatment of girls and boys into home and community-based parenting programs. Promote

the integration of a gender perspective within microfinance programs. Strengthen intimate partner

violence prevention programs and ensure they also consider children both directly and indirectly

exposed to violence these are the ways to eliminate VAWC according to them.

In Minnesota, the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women developed a secondary school

violence prevention program and trained secondary school teachers in the use of the curriculum.

The approximately 200 teachers who were willing to participate in the evaluation were stratified

by junior or senior high, and by rural, suburban, or urban location. Teachers were randomly

selected from each of the six subgroups, and their students became the sample for the evaluation.

Control groups from the same or nearby schools were also tested. Both groups were given

preprogram and post-program tests to assess their knowledge about battering, their attitudes, and

their knowledge about the resources available for help in addressing relationship violence.

Students who were given the 5-day prevention program improved their knowledge scores
significantly more than the control group. However, attitudes among both experimental and control

groups showed very little change. There was a posttest significant difference between girls' and

boys' scores, with the girls' scoring more in the desired direction. The experimental groups also

became more knowledgeable about general resources available for help with relationship violence,

such as a hospital or mental health center, although they could not name specific local services

(Jones, 1991)

Local studies

The Philippine National Police (PNP) cited that Functional VAWC (Violence Against

Women and Children) desks in barangays are essential support system to help women survivors

of violence and abuse. Barangay VAWC Desk should be functional so that immediate response

could be given to women and children who were victims of violence. More often in far-flung

barangays, victims find a hard time to report to PNP but with the functional VAWC desk, anytime

and at any place there will be local authorities where victims can take refuge or seek immediate

assistance. Barangay officials in making the said desk functional with competent members, proper

facilities and enough budget allocation to support the victims. The PNP encouraged the survivors

to report cases of violence and abuses. Assured that the PNP Women and Children Desk and other

stakeholders are willing to help them. (Mabaquiao, 2018)

The Narra municipal council has passed an ordinance providing for the establishment of

Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) desks in all the town’s barangays. Narra DSWD

records in 2016 showed some 93 cases of abuses on women and children, in addition to 33 recorded

VAWC cases during the first half of this year. The ordinance hopes to eradicate the number of
VAWC cases being filed in the municipality and to provide support services, legal counseling,

rehabilitation programs, and the elimination of any forms of discrimination on children and

women. (Talabucon, 2017)