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The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 7 through the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking: Violence Against Women and their Children (IACAT7-VAWC) supports the observance of the 18-Day Campaign to End VAWC.

DSWD 7 officials and staff do the Stop the VAWC sign during the advocacy launch on November 25, 2024, to solidify the agency’s support along with the wearing of orange outfits on all Fridays of the campaign period.

It remains one of the primary advocacies of DSWD in support of the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), a movement aimed at raising awareness about abuse and violence against women and their children and taking action to end it.

Republic Act 10398, which declares November 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, supported said advocacy campaign. Hence, it starts on November 25 and ends on December 12 of each year.

Last year’s theme aims to unite everyone in the community to take collective action to end VAWC. This year’s “VAW Bigyang Wakas, Ngayon na ang Oras!” calls to heighten the responsibilities of everyone to take immediate action by reporting gender-based violence and abuse.

This year also marks two decades since the Republic Act 9262, or the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act, became a law, highlighting twenty years of addressing VAWC as a human rights violation.

Here in Central Visayas, DSWD remains fully committed to supporting the advocacy with the help of the IACAT7-VAWC by empowering communities to know the different types of abuse, warning signs, and laws that protect women and their children and strengthening various reporting mechanisms.

Regional Director and IACAT7-VAWC Vice-Chairperson Shalaine Marie S. Lucero said the advocacy message could be amplified through various activities. “We will observe a period of 18 days to raise awareness on the various forms and impacts of VAWC and educate people to support the call of ending violence and abuse,” she said.

Both the Department and the council lead a wide range of activities organized to educate the public, disseminate its importance, and empower individuals and organizations to take action.

Reporting mechanism

Lucero said that despite the passage of numerous laws, there is still more to do because violence against women and their children occurs daily.

She said that everyone in the community must work together to create a comprehensive response with strong focus on prevention. “Atong timan-an, if we want to stop the VAWC, it has to start within ourselves. Magpakabana kita pinaagi sa pag-report kung aduna mo nadungog nga pagpangabuso sulod sa inyong komunidad. Anaa ang mga VAW Help Desks sa matag barangay ug mga istasyon sa pulis nga pwede ninyong sumbongan (Let us remember—if we want to end VAWC, we need to take action by reporting abuses in your community. There are VAW Help Desks in the barangay and police stations that you can report to).”

According to her, reporting is the first step to end VAWC. “Kung dili ni nato buhaton, basin taas pa nga lakaw ang atong himoon matag Nobyembre aron mahagit ang tanan to end VAW. Busa, wala nay daghang oras, karon na! (If we do not do this, maybe we will have to walk a long way every November of each year to encourage everyone to end VAW. So, there’s not much time left, the time is now!),” referring to the ‘Orange Walk’ as one of the activities.

Activities

Two walks have already been initiated—the kick-off on November 24, organized by the Cebu City Government, and the “Lakaw Uban ni Inday” by Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center. Participants from various organizations clad in orange shirts, a campaign color that symbolizes hope and a future free of VAWC.

Other activities include the promotion of advocacy in radio and television platforms, which also feature women survivors of gender-based violence and victim-survivors of trafficking in persons to talk about their stories.

In photos: Delegation of DSWD Field Office 7 – Central Visayas joins the “Orange Walk” organized by the Cebu City Government at the Plaza Independencia on November 24, 2024, a day before the campaign period.

IACAT7-VAWC also organized a caravan of services for legal aid and forums on safe spaces organized in schools, as well as webinars on gender-based violence prevention and reporting mechanisms that focus on empowering students.

The council has also partnered with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to discuss safe spaces with operators and cooperatives of public utility vehicles. This aims to reach male-dominated industries by educating them about advocacy and ensuring that the message will be made known to the riding public.

Vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities and abused girls and women in the DSWD’s Centers and Residential Care Facilities had an orientation on RA 11313, the Safe Space Act.

On December 7, 2024, the Zonta Club of Cebu will also conduct an orientation with solo parents on RA 11861, the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act.

Along with this advocacy, DSWD programs and services for the women and children sectors like counseling, temporary shelter, and coordination with other agencies and civil society organizations to help them heal and rebuild their lives, remain essential support services to victim-survivors. ###

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