Violence against Women, Violations of Human Rights

According to CWR, in 2009 there were 9,797 cases of violence against women. One to two children are also experiencing violence every hour. There are nine children being raped a day, while there are six to seven battered children a day.

There were 6,783 cases of domestic violence in 2009. The Department of Social Welfare and Development recorded 1,933 cases of violence against women. Data from CWR also show that in 2009, there are 3,251 rape cases, 33 percent of which victimized children.

Women are also not spared by the increasing number of human rights violations due to the implementation of Oplan Bantay Laya, the counterinsurgency campaign of the government.

Karapatan recorded 1,188 victims of extrajudicial killings from January 21, 2001 to December 31, 2009, 153 or 13 percent of the victims are women, 75 are children. Of the 205 victims of enforced disappearances, 31 or 15 percent are women.

The upcoming elections is a flashpoint. During the May 2007 elections, there were 229 women-victims of election-related violence.

Call to Action

“Every year we celebrate the victory of women’s struggle but celebration alone is not enough. This is clear in the data shown before us here by the CWR. We should continue to arouse, organize and mobilize so that we can get what we’ve all been aspiring for,” Judy Taguiwalo, UP Faculty Regent of the University of the Philippines Diliman, said during CWR’s presentation of the women’s situation.

According to her, the immediate goal of women should be to ensure that the president will step down from power in June 30, 2010. But what’s more important, she said, is to vote for candidates who are pro-people, pro-women and pro-nation.

According to Rep. Luz Ilagan of Gabriela Women’s Party, women should support progressive partylists, which will truly understands the plight of the masses and the need for genuine and meaningful change. (Bulatlat.com)

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