Whole of nation approach key to end VAW

The Chairperson of the City Council Committee on Women and Urban Poor said that the need for a whole of nation approach to curb the proliferation of violence against women and children in the different parts of the country.

Speaking during the launching of the 18-day campaign to end VAW at the city hall grounds, Councilor Betty Lourdes F. Tabanda stated that the lineup of activities for this year’s celebration aims to encourage all sectors to stand in solidarity in building a safer and more inclusive Bagong Pilipinas.

She claimed that the campaign should both serve as a reminder and a call to action to curb the proliferation of VAW in all corners of the nation.

“Ending violence against women is not a task for a few, it is not a duty only of the government. Rather, it is a shared mission, a moral responsibility of everyone,’ Councilor Tabanda stressed.

The lady local legislator pointed out that violence now wears many shapes in its manifestation, it is found in the whispered apology which actually is not the women’s fault, the unspoken cries for help, the quiet endurance of women who believe they have nowhere else to turn to.

According to her, some women remain invisible, but they are real as they simply refuse to be seen because of fear.

She underscored that violence against women is not just a private matter as it affects families, it touches the schools, workplaces, digital spaces and even their everyday conversations.

Tabanda explained that when one woman suffers, an entire community is weakened.

In the past, she narrated that violence against women was always visible, it was always physical but Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act now includes various forms of violence which may be psychological or emotional, it may be economic like when a woman is deprived of choices or refuse to practice her profession, sexual when she is forced to do acts she does not desire and now it may even be digital when the violation takes the form of harassment, threats and exploitation online. – Dexter A. See