From GABRIELAs experience in the fight against violence against women, seven forms are most prevalent, termed

as seven deadly sins committed against women. Deadly Sin #1: RAPE AND INCEST Rape and incest destroy the life of a woman or a child. The crime leaves a painful and ugly scar on the victims. Everyday, two or three women are stripped of their dignity. Everyday, nine children are sexually abused as the adults who are supposedly their protectors destroy their innocence. The scars may not be visible lesions but the traumatic experience remains a recurring nightmare. Every victim will regain her sense of self-worth when support abounds and when justice prevails. Deadly Sin #2: SEXUAL HARASSMENT Intimidation, bullying, coercion of a sexual nature or any act of that is unwelcome or inappropriate and makes a woman uncomfortable is harassment. Sexual harassment cases increased by almost 6% in 2009 with 960 cases compared to 907 reported cases in 2008. Almost 98% of women experience sexual harassment daily. This is a manifestation of how society views women as a sex object, a plaything, a property of men, or a secondclass citizen. The image of women does not go beyond the traditional concept and does not promote their potential in nation building. Massive information, and campaign should be done to discuss the issue of sexual harassment. Deadly Sin #3: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Home is a persons refuge and source of security. Sadly, not for everyone. Daily, 19 women are beaten by their husbands or partners; while six to seven children are beaten by their parents. Based on the Philippine National Police and the Department of Social Welfare and Development data, there is an increase of 38% in the number of reported cases from 2008 to 2009. Despite the existence of the RA 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004, the crime continues to increase. The positive side is the untiring effort of womens organizations to encourage women to speak the culture of silence. Although still few in numbers, women uniting to break the chain of domestic oppression will pave the way for a better condition for wives, partners and children.

Deadly Sin #4: TRAFFICKING, WHITE SLAVERY AND PROSTITUTION Women are considered as one of the most impoverished sectors in the country, according to the National Statistical Coordinating Boards 2006 survey. Poverty makes women more vulnerable to abuse; it leaves women with little or no choice at all. There are 150,000 documented cases of Filipino women who are victims of sex trafficking and 400,000 victims of prostitution. With its labor-export policy, the government continues to encourage the export of human resources and the flourishing of sex trade. Recruiters and sex trafficker all profit immensely from the flourishing sex industry. As long as the economy is in crisis and no valuable employment is offered, women will remain vulnerable to sexual exploitation. Deadly Sin #5: DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORK PLACE Searching for a decent, regular and productive job is a challenging task for all those included in the labor force, but it is doubly challenging for women. The contribution of women to formal employment continues to trail behind the contribution of men. Women comprise only 38.5% of the labor participation rate compared to their male counterpart. This means that they find harder to look for jobs in the formal sector. Most of them belong to the own-account workers, self-employed, and unpaid family labor. As long as the state does not give enough opportunity for women to develop their fullest potential, the country is deprived of half of its builders and producers. Deadly Sin #6: INACCESIBILITY OR LIMITED ACCESS TO MATERNAL HEALTH AND CHILD CARE Eleven women die everyday due to complications in childbirth. Ailing and malnourished mothers deliver ailing and malnourished babies. Twenty percent of infants have low birth weight and 64,000 out of the 11,095,000 children under 5 years old die due to health complications. In public hospitals, the doctor-patient ratio is 1:30,000. Despite the pathetic health condition, the government only allots P29.28B for health or P318.26 for every Filipino. Worse, it is the encouraging the private sector to take charge an it is limiting the state responsibility on health care. Further, it focuses its attention to medical tourism, offering quality health care for the wealthy tourists. Clearly, as the government has considered privatized service and medical tourism as the answer for health care, health service will be more inaccessible to women and their families. Deadly Sin #7: VIOLENCE AS A RESULT OF STATE REPRESSION Who will defend women against protectors who abuse with impunity? The state has its armed forces to supposedly protect its citizenry. However, many women especially those who assert their rights have been subjected to torture, intimidation, sexual abuse or worse, even death by these armed forces. Many have disappeared as exemplified by

Karen Empe-no, Sherlyn Cadapan, and Luisa Posa-Dominado. As part of torture during detention, many have been sexually abused or harassed as shown by the case of a 60year Angie Ipong and the 26 women of the 43 Morong health workers. Some were brutally killed just like the women of the Ampatuan massacre. Litanies of abuse, horror, and fear engulf women and their relatives. Many tears have been shed by parents, children, siblings and spouses because of more than a million women-victims of human rights violations under the Arroyo government. As long as the government commends the perpetrators and allows its armed forces to carry out abuses with impunity, blood and tears will be shed by women and the rest of the enlightened Filipino people.

*Presented last November 25, 2011 in commemoration of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) BY: