VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN What is violence against women?

According to UN Women: Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread violations of human rights. It can include physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse, and it cuts across boundaries of age, race, culture, wealth and geography. It takes place in the home, on the streets, in schools, the workplace, in farm fields, refugee camps, during conflicts and crises. What are the forms of violence against women? WHO says: There are many forms of violence against women, including sexual, physical, or emotional abuse by an intimate partner; physical or sexual abuse by family members or others; sexual harassment and abuse by authority figures (such as teachers, police officers or employers); trafficking for forced labour or sex; and such traditional practices as forced or child marriages, dowry-related violence; and honour killings, when women are murdered in the name of family honour. Systematic sexual abuse in conflict situations is another form of violence against women. Scope of the problems: 1. In a 10-country study on women's health and domestic violence conducted by WHO, Between 15% and 71% of women reported physical or sexual violence by a husband or partner. Many women said that their first sexual experience was not consensual. (24% in rural Peru, 28% in Tanzania, 30% in rural Bangladesh, and 40% in South Africa). Between 4% and 12% of women reported being physically abused during pregnancy. More about the study 2. Every year, about 5,000 women are murdered by family members in the name of honour each year worldwide. 3. Trafficking of women and girls for forced labour and sex is widespread and often affects the most vulnerable.

4. Forced marriages and child marriages violate the human rights of women and girls, yet they are widely practiced in many countries in Asia, the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa. 5. Worldwide, up to one in five women and one in 10 men report experiencing sexual abuse as children. Children subjected to sexual abuse are much more likely to encounter other forms of abuse later in life.

Health effects: Health consequences can result directly from violent acts or from the long-term effects of violence. 1. Injuries: Physical and sexual abuse by a partner is closely associated with injuries. Violence by an intimate partner is the leading cause of non-fatal injuries to women in the USA. 2. Death: Deaths from violence against women include honour killings (by families for cultural reasons); suicide; female infanticide (murder of infant girls); and maternal death from unsafe abortion. 3. Sexual and reproductive health: Violence against women is associated with sexually transmitted infections such as HIV/AIDS, unintended pregnancies, gynaecological problems, induced abortions, and adverse pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage, low birth weight and fetal death. 4. Risky behaviours: Sexual abuse as a child is associated with higher rates of sexual risktaking (such as first sex at an early age, multiple partners and unprotected sex), substance

use, and additional victimization. Each of these behaviours increases risks of health problems. 5. Mental health: Violence and abuse increase risk of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep difficulties, eating disorders and emotional distress. 6. Physical health: Abuse can result in many health problems, including headaches, back pain, abdominal pain, fibromyalgia, gastrointestinal disorders, limited mobility, and poor overall health. Global Statistics: Fact #1: At least 60 million girls who would otherwise be expected to be alive are "missing" from various populations, mostly in Asia, as a result of sex-selective abortions, infanticide or neglect. (UN Study On The Status of Women, Year 2000) Fact #2: Globally, at least one in three women and girls is beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime. (UN Commission on the Status of Women, 2/28/00) Fact #3: A recent survey by the Kenyan Women Rights Awareness Program revealed that 70% of those interviewed said they knew neighbors who beat their wives. Nearly 60% said women were to blame for the beatings. Just 51% said the men should be punished. (The New York Times, 10/31/97) Fact #4: 4 million women and girls are trafficked annually. (United Nations) Fact #5: An estimated one million children, mostly girls, enter the sex trade each year (UNICEF) Fact #6: A 2005 World Health Organization study reported that nearly one third of Ethiopian women had been physically forced by a partner to have sex against their will within the 12 months prior to the study. (WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence Against Women, 2005) Fact #7: In a study of 475 people in prostitution from five countries (South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, USA, and Zambia): 62% reported having been raped in prostitution.

73% reported having experienced physical assault in prostitution. 92% stated that they wanted to escape prostitution immediately. (Melissa Farley, Isin Baral, Merab Kiremire, Ufuk Sezgin, "Prostitution in Five Countries: Violence and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder" (1998) Feminism & Psychology 8 (4): 405-426) Fact #8: The most common act of violence against women is being slappedan experience reported by 9% of women in Japan and 52% in provincial Peru. Rates of sexual abuse also varies greatly around the worldwith partner rape being reported by 6% of women from Serbia and Montenegro, 46% of women from provincial Bangladesh, and 59% of women in Ethiopia. (WHO Multi-country Study on Womens Health and Domestic Violence Against Women, 2005) Fact #9: So-called "honour killings" take the lives of thousands of young women every year, mainly in North Africa, Western Asia and parts of South Asia. (UNFPA) Fact #10: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported that 2002 saw a 25% increase in honor killings of women, with 461 women murdered by family members in 2002, in 2 provinces (Sindh and Punjab) alone. (Pakistan Human Rights Commission, 2002) Fact #11: More than 90 million African women and girls are victims of female circumcision or other forms of genital mutilation. (Heise: 1994) Fact #12: In eastern and souther Africa, 17 to 22% of girls aged 15 to 19 are HIV-positive, compared to 3 to 7% of boys of similar age. This patternseen in many other regions of the worldis evidence that girls are being infected with HIV by a much older cohort of men. (UNICEF/UNAIDS 2007) Fact #13: A 2005 study reported that 7% of partnered Canadian women experienced violence at the hands of a spouse between 1999 and 2004. Of these battered women, nearly one-quarter (23%) reported being beaten, choked, or threatened with a knife or gun. (Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile, 2005) Fact #14: In Zimbabwe, domestic violence accounts for more than 60% of murder cases that go through the high court in Harare. (ZWRCN)

Fact #15: a study in Zaria, Nigeria found that 16 percent of hospital patients treated for sexually transmitted infections were younger than 5. (UNFPA) (_____________.(2008). Global Statistics. Anti-violence Resource Guide. Retrieved March 20, 2011 from http://www.feminist.com/antiviolence/facts.html)

How about in the Philippines? Statistics on violence against Filipino women from Philippine Commission on Women: In 2009 the number of VAW cases reported to the police rose by 37.4 percent from the 2008 report. The increase caused the trend to go upward after a six-year downward trend from 2001 to 2006. For the past thirteen years since 1997, the trend peaked at a record high of 9,132 VAW cases in 2001.

The trend, however, is not conclusive of a decreasing or increasing VAW incidence in the country because data are based only from what was reported to PNP.

Physical injuries and/or wife battering remains to be the most prevalent case across the twelve-year period, from 19972009, accounting nearly half (45.5%) of all reported VAW cases nationwide.

Reported incidence of physical injuries and/or wife battering has been decreasing in the latter years. Its peak was in 2001 at 5,668 reported cases. The decrease can be partly attributed to the enactment into law of RA 9262 or Anti-VAWC Act of 2004 which penalizes abusive husbands and live-in partners.

Since 2004, wife battering cases have been categorized under Violation of RA 9262 that is, if the victim files a case under such law, otherwise the reported cases will fall under wife battering/physical injuries category.

Violation of RA 9262 ranked second at 17.8 percent. However, data cover only a six-year period starting from its implementation in 2004

Table 1a. Annual Comparative Statistics on Violence Against Women, Philippines: 1999 2003 Reported Cases Rape Incestuous Rape Attempted Rape Acts of Lasciviousness Physical Injuries/Wife Battering Sexual Harassment RA 9262 1999 946 257 586 3,291 80 2000 1,121 242 280 733 4,577 93 2001 1,026 188 334 725 5,668 57 2002 972 91 316 733 5,058 109 2003 1,045 72 275 646 4,296 112 2004 997 38 194 580 3,553 53 218

Threats Seduction Concubinage

290 49 147

397 25 202 8 37 122 7,837

588 43 244 20 86 153 9,132

561 66 192 16 45 125 8,284

420 17 180 4 36 101 7,204

319 62 121 17 29 90 6,271

Sex Trafficking/White Slavery/RA 9208 67 Abduction / Kidnapping Unjust Vexation Total 49 57 5,819

Reported Cases Rape Incestuous Rape Attempted Rape Acts of Lasciviousness Physical Injuries/Wife Battering Sexual Harassment RA 9262 Threats Seduction Concubinage Sex Trafficking/White Slavery/RA 9208 Abduction / Kidnapping Unjust Vexation Total

2005 927 46 148 536 2,335 37 924 223 19 102 11 16 50 5,374

2006 659 26 185 382 1,892 38 1,269 199 29 93 16 34 59 4,881

2007 837 22 147 358 1,505 46 2,387 182 30 109 24 23 59 5,729

2008 811 28 204 445 1,307 18 3,599 220 19 109 34 28 83 5,729

2009 770 27 167 485 1,498 54 5,285 208 19 99 152 18 703 9,485

Reported rape cases which ranked third accounted for about 13.1 percent of total reported VAW cases from 1999 to 2009. There is also a downward trend on reported rape cases from 946 in 1999 to 770 in 2009. Its peak was in 2000 at 1,121 reported cases.

Acts of lasciviousness ranked fourth at an average of 564 reported cases accounting for 8.1 percent of all reported VAW cases from 1999 to 2009. The comparative figures now indicate an upward trend of the reported cases after a record low of 382 reported cases in 2006.

Among the regions, Region 11 (Davao) posted the highest reported VAW cases from January to December 2009 with 2,653 reported cases, accounting 28 percent of the total reported VAW cases nationwide.

NCR comes next at 1,393 (14.7%) reported VAW cases followed by Region 7 (Central Visayas) with 1,123 reported VAW cases or 11.8 percent of the total reported VAW cases nationwide.

The Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) posted the lowest reported VAW cases with only 33 cases in 2009

DSWD data show that there is a downward trend on the number of Women in Especially Difficult Circumstances (WEDC) served; from 7,763 cases in 1999 to 5,549 cases in 2007.

Uncategorized and Others account for more than half (58.7%) of the total WEDC cases served by DSWD in 2007. Uncategorized cases include clients who were strandees, abandoned, emotionally distressed, unwed mothers, sexually-exploited, voluntary committed/surrendered, neglected, etc. while those in the Others category include number of WEDC clients provided with crisis intervention services whose cases are not categorized.

Aside from the Uncategorized and Others categories, physically abused/maltreated and rape cases top the list of WEDC cases served by DSWD in 2007. Physically abused

and maltreated women accounted for 26.6 percent while rape cases accounted for 4.1 percent of total cases served. (National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW). (2009). Statistics on violence against Filipino women. Retrieved March 20, 2011 from http://www.ncrfw.gov.ph/index.php/statistics-on-filipino-women/14-factsheets-onfilipino-women/73-statistics-fs-violence-against-filipino-women.)

Womens Rights in the Philippines: A list of Laws Protecting Women and Mothers
1. RA 6725 (April 27, 1989)

An Act Strengthening the Prohibition on Discrimination Against Women with Respect to Terms and Conditions of Employment, Amending for the Purpose Article One Hundred Thirty-Five of the Labor Code, As Amended
2. RA 6972 (November 23, 1990)

An Act Establishing a Day Care Center in Every Barangay Instituting Therein a Total Development and Protection of Children Program, Appropriating Funds Therefor, and for Other Purposes
3. RA 7192 (December 11, 1991)

An Act Promoting the Integration of Women as Full and Equal Partners of Men in Development and Nation Building and for Other Purposes
4. RA 7322 (March 30, 1992)

An Act Increasing Maternity Benefits in Favor of Women Workers in the Private Sector, Amending for the Purpose Section 14-A of Republic Act No. 1161, as Amended and for Other Purposes
5. RA 7600 (June 17, 1992)

An Act Requiring All Government and Private Health Institutions with Obstetrical Services to Adopt Rooming-in and Breastfeeding Practices and for Other Purposes
6. RA 7688 (March 3, 1994)

An Act Giving Representation to Women in Social Security Commission Amending for the Purpose Section 3(A) of Republic Act 1161, as Amended
7. RA 7822 (February 20, 1995)

An Act Providing Assistance to Women Engaging in Micro and Cottage Business Enterprises, and for Other Purposes

8. RA 8353 (September 30, 1997) this includes marital rape

An Act Expanding the Definition of the Crime of Rape, Reclassifying the Same as a Crime Against Persons, Amending for the Purpose Act No. 3815, as Amended, Otherwise Known as the Revised Penal Code, and for Other Purposes
9. RA 8369 (October 28, 1997)

An Act Establishing Family Courts, granting Them Exclusive Original Jurisdiction Over Child and Family Cases, Amending Batas Pambansa No. 192, as Amended, Otherwise Known as the Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980, Appropriating Funds Therefor and for Other Purposes
10. RA 9262 (March 8, 2004)

An Act Defining Violence Against Women and Their Children, Providing Protective Measures for Victims, Prescribing Penalties Therefor and for Other Purposes

(Tajonera, J.,C. (2010). Womens Rights in the Philippines: A list of Laws Protecting Women and Mothers. Retrieved March 20, 2011 from http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/momdad/taking-care-of-mom/womens-rights-in-the-philippines-a-list-of-laws-protectingwomen-and-mothers)

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs239/en/ http://www.feminist.com/antiviolence/facts.html http://www.unifem.org/gender_issues/violence_against_women/ http://www.feminist.com/antiviolence/facts.html