This Year’s 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women and Children

Violence against women (VAW) and its synonym, violence against women and children (VAWC) is a public health problem. This pressing health issue has impact to society because it is also a form of violence against human rights.

What is VAW (VAWC)?

Violence against women (violence against women and children) as defined by the United Nations (UN) is an “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or likely to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.” UN defines further that every woman regardless of age, skin color, gender identity, ethnicity, religion, disabilities, economic, and social status can experience violence and the threat of violence.

Incidence of VAW?

World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 3 woman (35%) have experienced either physical and/or sexual abuse from intimate partner or non-partner, in their lifetime. Philippine study release by the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2017, on this topic, points to 1 in 4 Filipino women, aged 15 to 19, experienced physical, emotional, or sexual violence from their husband or partner.

Rights of Every Woman

1. To good and quality education.

2. To comprehensive health services, including family planning.

3. To access loans and other financial credit.

4. To join leisure, sports, and cultural activities.

5. To decide on the number of children and on the number of years between pregnancies.

6. To shared parenting responsibilities.

7. To have equal access to jobs, benefits, and social security.

8. To be paid equally based on the work she does.

9. To be free from all forms of violence: physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, mental, and economic.

10. To be free from all forms of slavery and prostitution.

11. To vote, run for election, and hold public office.

12. To represent the country internationally.

13. To acquire, change or retain nationality and citizenship.