What we need to know about RA 9262?
Republic Act 9262 Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004
As a response to the need to address the violence women and children experience due to unequal power relations, Republic Act 9262 was signed on May 8, 2004 by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, with full support of women’s rights and feminist groups. Also known as the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act (VAWC) of 2004, RA 9262 charges tougher penalties for abusive husbands and men and marks the declaration of the State’s valuation to “the dignity of women and children and guarantees full respect for human rights” (Sec. 2).
Senator Loi Ejercito was the principal author of Senate Bill 2723 or the Anti- VAWC bill in the Senate while Rep. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo was the principal author of House Bill 5516 at the House of Representatives.
Why RA 9262?
The Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004 has been significant in the protection of the rights of women and children against gender-based violence. VAWC Reports to the Philippine National Police have increased (49.4%) from 1997 to 2013.
A 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) conducted by National Statistics Office (NSO) with women participants aged 15–49 years old found out that one in five women have experienced physical abuse from their husbands, and 4% of these women have experienced such act of violence during their pregnancy. Domestic violence committed to women who are widowed or separated might also be the reason of their separation or annulment. These women were not exempted from experiencing sexual violence as one in twenty five of the participants were forced to engage in sexual intercourse on their first ever sexual experience; while one in ten experienced sexual abuse. The most common types of spousal violence, apart from physical and sexual violence, were emotional and other forms of non-personal violence. As a result, one in three women have reported to the authority of their experience of violence with marks of trauma left by their physical injuries. About 10% are haunted by psychological scars, as three in five abused women are left with depression, anxiety, and anger which could develop into their attempts to commit suicide.
For more information about RA 9262 and Violence Against Women and Children, you may click on the following links:
http://www.philstar.com/…/tougher-penalties-wife-and-child-…
http://www.pcw.gov.ph/…/docum…/resources/ra_9262_and_irr.pdf
http://www.sei.dost.gov.ph/images/projects/GAD_RA9262.pdf
http://pcw.gov.ph/…/statistics-violence-against-filipino-wo…
