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

2000
1,121
242
280
733
4,577
93
397
25
202

2001
1,026
188
334
725
5,668
57
588
43
244

2002
972
91
316
733
5,058
109
561
66
192

2003
1,045
72
275
646
4,296
112
420
17
180

2004
997
38
194
580
3,553
53
218
319
62
121

Sex Trafficking/White Slavery/RA 9208 67

20

16

17

Abduction / Kidnapping
Unjust Vexation
Total

37
122
7,837

86
153
9,132

45
125
8,284

36
101
7,204

29
90
6,271

Rape
Incestuous Rape
Attempted Rape
Acts of Lasciviousness
Physical Injuries/Wife Battering
Sexual Harassment
RA 9262
Threats
Seduction
Concubinage

1999
946
257
586
3,291
80
290
49
147

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