The document discusses violence against women and children in the Philippines. It begins by outlining several key laws that protect women's rights, such as the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act and the Magna Carta of Women. It then provides data on the prevalence of physical violence committed by intimate partners and family members. It discusses the cycle of violence and common myths about domestic abuse. Finally, it outlines provisions of the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act, including what constitutes violence, legal remedies, and types of protection orders.

1. Mary Yole Apple Declaro-Ruedas

2. I GOT FLOWERS TODAY
I GOT FLOWERS TODAY
IT WASN’T MY BIRTHDAY OR ANY OTHER DAY.
WE HAD OUR FIRST ARGUMENT LAST NIGHT
AND HE SAID A LOT OF CRUEL THINGS THAT
REALLY HURT ME
I KNOW HE IS SORRY AND DIDN’T MEAN THE
THINGS HE SAID
BECAUSE HE SENT ME FLOWERS TODAY.

3. I GOT FLOWERS TODAY
IT WASN’T OUR ANNIVERSARY OR ANY OTHER
SPECIAL DAY
LAST NIGHT HE THREW ME INTO THE WALL AND
STARTED TO CHOKE ME
IT SEEMED LIKE A NIGHTMARE I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT
WAS REAL
I WOKE UP THIS MORNING SORE AND BRUISED ALL
OVER
I KNOW HE MUST BE SORRY…BECAUSE HE SENT ME
FLOWERS TODAY.

4. I GOT FLOWERS TODAY
AND IT WASN’T MOTHER’S DAY OR ANY SPECIAL
DAY
LAST NIGHT HE BEAT ME UP AGAIN. AND IT WAS
MUCH WORSE THAN ALL THE OTHER TIMES
IF I LEAVE HIM WHAT WILL I DO? HOW WILL I
TAKE CARE OF MY KIDS? WHAT ABOUT MONEY?
I’M AFRAID OF HIM AND SCARED TO LEAVE.
BUT I KNOW HE MUST BE SORRY…BECAUSE HE
SENT ME FLOWERS TODAY.

5. I GOT FLOWERS TODAY. TODAY WAS A VERY
SPECIAL DAY. LAST NIGHT, HE FINALLY KILLED ME.
HE BEAT ME TO DEATH.
IF ONLY I HAVE GATHERED ENOUGH COURAGE AND
STRENGTH TO LEAVE HIM.
I WOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN FLOWERS TODAY.

10. 1987 CONSTITUTION:State Policies
 Sec. 2 “adopts the generally accepted
principles of international law as part of
the law of the land (CEDAW, CRC, other
Conventions)
 Full respect for human rights
 Sec. 14. “fundamental equality before the
law of women and men”

11. LAWS ON VAW
 The Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995
(Republic Act No. 7877)
 The Anti-Rape Law of 1997 (Republic Act No.
8353)
 The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003
(Republic Act No. 9208)
 The Rape Victim Assistance and Protection Act
of 1998 (Republic Act No. 8505)
 The Women in Development and Nation Building
Act (Republic Act No. 7192)

12.  The Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009 (Republic
Act No. 9775)
 The Special Protection of Children Against Child
Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act
(Republic Act No. 7610)
 The Family Courts Act of 1997 (Republic Act No.
8369)
 The Revised Penal Code (Republic Act No. 3815)
 The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive
Health Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10354)
 The Domestic Workers Act (or Batas Kasambahay)
(Republic Act No. 10361)
 The Solo Parents' Welfare Act of 2000 (Republic Act
No. 8972)

13. RA 9262 is the Anti-Violence Against
Women and their Children Act of 2004
It seeks to address the prevalence of violence against
women and children (VAWC), abuses on women and their
children by their intimate partners like:
 Husband or ex-husband
 Live-in partner or ex-live in partner
 Boyfriend/girlfriend or ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend
 Dating partner or ex-dating partner
The Act classifies violence against women and children
(VAWC) as a public crime.

14. RA 9710 – Magna Carta of Women
• "Violence Against Women" refers to any act of
gender-based violence that results in, or is likely
to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological
harm or suffering to women, including threats
of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation
of liberty, whether occurring in public or in
private life.
• It also includes acts of violence against women
as defused in Republic Acts No. 9208 and 9262.

15. Woman- refers to the
following:
1. wife
2. former wife
3. one with whom the
person has or had a
dating or sexual relationship
4. one with whom he has a
common child

16. Child- person below 18 years of age or
older but who is unable to fully take
care of himself/herself from abuse,
neglect, cruelty, exploitation or
discrimination because of a physical or
mental disability or condition.

17. CYCLE OF VIOLENCE
MYTHS OF VAWC

18. Myth 1
A man can do
whatever he wants
to his wife

20. Myth 2
He wouldn’t beat
her if he didn’t love
her so much

21. THE TRUTH:
Love means showing respect and kindness.
Beating is not a sign of love.

22. Myth 3
Only, ignorant
men beat their
wives.

23. THE TRUTH:
Violence is not just a problem of poverty
and ignorance.
Violence can happen in any Home: rich or poor,
educated or less educated, in the city or in the
rural areas.

25. In 2011, Nicolas Cage was
arrested for domestic
battery and disturbing the
peace. Cage reportedly
pushed his wife outside of
a tattoo shop and punched
some cars that were
nearby.

26. In 2009, Carey opened up to Larry King about the mental and emotional abuse
she'd experienced in a past relationship, "Abuse has several categories, emotionally,
mentally, in other ways.

28. Myth 4
It’s just because
he drinks.

29. THE TRUTH:
Alcohol does not cause violence, but it
often makes it worse.
Violence is also common in places where
people do not drink alcohol

32. Myth 5
It’s their business.
It’s not right to
interfere with private
affairs of couple.

33. THE TRUTH:
Violence is a social and community health
problem.
Violence is not just a family matter. Many
women are hurt or killed.

34. Myth 6
It’s best for the children
if she stays with him. He
can still be a good father
to them.

35. THE TRUTH:
It is not always better for the family when
a woman stays with a violent man. He is
teaching the children terrible, wrong
ways to deal with their feelings, and
about how women should be treated.

36. THE TRUTH:
He is not being good to his children if
he is beating their mother or them.

38. Berry regularly speaks
out about her experience
with domestic violence
and is known for her
work with the Jenesse
Center, a non-profit
domestic violence
prevention and
intervention organization.

39. Christina Aguilera has written several songs about her childhood and the domestic
abuse that came from her father. In her song "I'm OK" that was released in 2002,
Christina sings, "It hurt me to see the pain across my mother's face every
time my father's fist would put her in her place."

40. Charlize Theron grew up
with an abusive father who
would frequently state that
he was going to kill the
whole family. Theron's
mother shot her father in
self defense after he came
home drunk and agitated
one night.

41. Sir Patrick Stewart lived his childhood in fear of his abusive father, a World
War II military hero.
When called to the house after his father violently battered his mother, he
remembers, the police or emergency medical workers would comment,
“She must have provoked him,” or “Mrs. Stewart, it takes two to make a
fight.” Nothing could be further from the truth, says Stewart: “Violence is a
choice a man makes, and he alone is responsible for it.”

42. REPUBLIC ACT 9262
“ANTI-VIOLENCE AGAINST
WOMEN AND THEIR CHILDREN
ACT OF 2004”
(Anti-VAWC)

46. It refers to acts that include
bodily or physical harm. It
includes causing, threatening,
attempting to cause physical
harm to the woman or her
child or placing the woman or
her child in fear of imminent
physical harm.

50. Persons committing physical violence
Percentage who reported specific persons who committed the violence,by marital status, Philippines 2008
Person committing violence
Marital Status
Ever married Never Married Total
Current husband 54.7 na 46.8
Former husband 12.1 na 10.3
Former boyfriend 0.6 0.6 0.6
Current boyfriend 0.3 19.8 3.1
Father/step-father 16.6 25.9 17.9
Mother/step-mother 18.5 34.5 20.8
Sister/brother 9.3 21.0 11.0
Daughter/son 0.9 0.0 0.8
It is very alarming to know that women in the Philippines are not safe even in their own homes!
• For women who have ever been married, the main perpetrators of physical violence are
their husbands.
• Among never-married women, the main perpetrators are the mothers, fathers,
sisters/brothers and current boyfriends.
Results from the Women’s Safety Module (2008)
Source: 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), National Statistics Office (NSO)

52. Per accounts of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the yearly RPRH report,
there were 19,743 recorded cases of Violence Against Women (VAW) in the
country in 2019. Out of those, 77 percent, or 15,160 cases, formed part of
violations under the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) Law, or
the intimate partner-relationship category. The rest fell under other forms of
GBV, such as rape (2,341 cases), acts of lasciviousness (1,953), concubinage
(204) and sexual harassment (85).

53. Jennylyn Mercado admitted in a recent television interview that she's suffered severe
physical abuse from her stepfather when she was a child.
“'Yong likod ko pinaplantsa tapos pinapaso ako ng cigarette. Tapos kapag pinaso na
niya ako ng cigarette, 'di ba lolobo siya, pipisain niya 'yon. Gusto talaga niya nang
nakakasakit, gano'n,”

54. It refers to an act which is sexual in
nature like rape, sexual harassment,
acts of lasciviousness, treating a
woman or her child as a sex object,
making demeaning and sexually
suggestive remarks, forcing the wife
and mistress/lover to live in the
conjugal home or sleep together in the
same room with the abuser, forcing the
woman or her child to watch indecent
shows or do indecent acts, or
prostituting the woman or child.

59. It refers to acts or omissions causing or is likely to
cause mental or emotional suffering of the victim
like intimidation, harassment, stalking…public
ridicule or humiliation, repeated verbal abuse and
marital infidelity, or unlawful or unwanted
deprivation of the right to custody and/or visitation
of common children.

62. ECONOMIC ABUSE - refers to acts that make or attempt
to make a woman financially dependent like withdrawal of
financial support or preventing the victim from engaging in
any legitimate profession, occupation or business…
controlling the victim’s own money or properties or solely
controlling the conjugal money or properties.

65. Violence against women affects the whole family
Children exposed to intimate partner violence in the
home are more likely to:
1. Be abused themselves
2. Not receive healthcare
3. Have behavioral, emotional, and schooling problems
As adolescents, they are more likely to:
1. Use alcohol and drugs in harmful ways
2. Smoke
3. Have unsafe sex

66. Remedies of the offended party
1. File a Petition for a Protection Order
2. File a Criminal Action for Violation of
Anti-VAWC
3. File a Criminal Action with reservation
of a separate civil action; or
4. File a Civil Action for Damages

67. KINDS OF PROTECTION ORDER
1. BARANGAY PROTECTION ORDER (BPO) - issued
by the Punong Barangay, or in his absence the
Barangay Kagawad, ordering the perpetrator to desist
from causing or threatening to cause physical harm or
bodily injury against the offended party. This is
effective for 15 days.
2. TEMPORARY PROTECTION ORDER (TPO) - issued
by the court on the date of filing of the application or
in the course of the hearing and effective for 30 days.
3. PERMANENT PROTECTION ORDER (PPO) - issued
by the court after notice and hearing and effective
until revoked by the court upon application of the
person in whose favor the order was issued.

68. WHO MAY FILE PETITION FOR
PROTECTION ORDER
1. offended party
2. parents or guardian
3. ascendants, descendants and other relatives
4. Social Worker
5. Police Officer
6. Punong Barangay or kagawad
7. Lawyer, counselor or therapist
8. Two (2) concerned and responsible citizens

69. Sources from which help was sought
Percentage who sought help from specific sources, by type of violence experienced
Source of help
Type of violence
Physical Sexual Both physical and
sexual
Total
Own family 45.0 54.0 42.5 45.1
In-laws 15.8 8.2 14.9 14.5
Husband/partner boyfriend 1.0 0.0 0.9 0.8
Friend/neighbor 26.4 23.9 32.6 28.5
Religious leader 0.0 0.0 0.7 0.3
Doctor/medical personnel 2.0 0.0 3.4 2.3
Police 7.4 8.1 12.3 9.3
Lawyer 1.5 3.9 0.8 1.5
Social service organization 4.8 0.0 9.2 6.0
• Among all those who sought help, women are most likely to have sought help from their own
family at 45%, while 29% of them sought help from friends
• Only 9.3% and 6.0% of them sought help from the police and social service organizations.
Source: 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), National Statistics Office (NSO)

70. What Can We Do?
Men, I ask you to:
1. Challenge what you observe and what you hear from
other men.
2. Listen to the women in your life. Let their stories inspire
you to be the best man you can be.
3. Teach your sons that their value does not lie in how many
women they have had sex with, but in the way they treat
others through respect and kindness.
4. If you witness another man catcalling or harassing a
woman, tell them to stop it. Be the change, speak up.
5. I also ask that you remember the stories of women who
died due to violence.

71. Women, I ask you to:
1. Tell your own story.
2. Tell the stories of the women whose lives
were taken too soon.
3. Challenge other women when they make
excuses for inappropriate or abusive behavior.
4. Challenge other women when you hear them
make remarks of internalized misogyny.
5. Examine the ways your own self-worth is
related to misogynistic ideas.
6. Support your fellow women; believe their
stories and encourage one another to be
brave.

76. Kary’s song represents overcoming the complex struggles of an abusive
relationship and championing herself. She is fighting to take her life back
from her abuser and has had enough of the abuse and realises she
deserves so much more.

77. I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything
You held me down, but I got up (hey!)
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, your hear that sound
Like thunder, gonna shake your ground
You held me down, but I got up
Get ready 'cause I've had enough
I see it all, I see it now