REPUBLIC ACT No.

11313
An Act Defining Gender-Based Sexual Harassment in Streets, Public Spaces, Online, Workplaces, and
Educational or Training Institutions, Providing Protective Measures and Prescribing Penalties Therefor

Section 1. Short Title. -This Act shall be known as the "Safe Spaces Act".

Section 2. Declaration of Policies. -It is the policy of the State to value the dignity of every human person
and guarantee full respect for human rights. It is likewise the policy of the State to recognize the role of
women in nation-building and ensure the fundamental equality before the law of women and men. The
State also recognizes that both men and women must have equality, security and safety not only in
private, but also on the streets, public spaces, online, workplaces and educational and training
institutions.

Section 3. Definition of Terms. -As used in this Act: (a) Catcalling refers to unwanted remarks directed
towards a person, commonly done in the form of wolf-whistling and misogynistic, transphobic,
homophobic, and sexist slurs; (b) Employee refers to a person, who in exchange for remuneration,
agrees to perform specified services for another person, whether natural or juridical, and whether
private or public, (c) Employer refers to a person who exercises control over an employee (d) Gender
refers to a set of socially ascribed characteristics, norms, roles, attitudes, values and expectations
identifying the social behavior of men and women, and the relations between them; (e) Gender-based
online sexual harassment refers to an online conduct targeted at a particular person that causes or likely
to cause another mental, emotional or psychological distress, (f) Gender identity and/or expression
refers to the personal sense of identity as characterized, among others, by manner of clothing,
inclinations, and behavior in relation to masculine or feminine conventions. (g) Public spaces refer to
streets and alleys, public parks, schools, buildings, malls, bars, restaurants, transportation terminals,
public markets, spaces used as evacuation centers, government offices, public utility vehicles as well as
private vehicles

ARTICLE I

GENDER-BASED STREETS AND PUBLIC SPACES

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Section 4. Gender-Based Streets and Public Spaces Sexual Harassment. -

Section 5. Gender-Based Sexual Harassment in Restaurants and Cafes, Bars and Clubs, Resorts and
Water Parks, Hotels and Casinos, Cinemas, Malls, Buildings and Other Privately-Owned Places Open to
the Public.

Section 6. Gender-Based Sexual Harassment in Public Utility Vehicles.

Section 7. Gender-Based Sexual Harassment in Streets and Public Spaces Committed by Minors.

Section 8. Duties of Local Government Units (LGUs). (a) Pass an ordinance which shall localize the
applicability of this Act within sixty (60) days of its effectivity; (b) Disseminate or post in conspicuous
places a copy of this Act and the corresponding ordinance; (c) Provide measures to prevent gender-
based sexual harassment in educational institutions, such as information campaigns and anti-sexual
harassment seminars; (d) Discourage and impose fines on acts of gender-based sexual harassment as
defined in this Act; (e) Create an anti-sexual harassment hotline; and (f) Coordinate with the
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on the implementation of this Act.

Section 9. Role of the DILG. -The DILG shall ensure the full implementation of this Act by:

Section 10. Implementing Bodies for Gender-

Section 11. Specific Acts and Penalties for Gender-Based Sexual Harassment in Streets and Public Spaces.
(1) The first offense shall be punished by a fine of One thousand pesos (₱1,000.00) and community
service of twelve (12) hours inclusive of attendance to a Gender Sensitivity Seminar to be conducted by
the PNP in coordination with the LGU and the PCW; (2) The second offense shall be punished by arresto
menor (6 to 10 days) or a fine of Three thousand pesos (₱3,000.00); (3) The third offense shall be
punished by arresto menor (11 to 30 days) and a fine of Ten thousand pesos (₱10,000.00).

ARTICLE II

GENDER-BASED ONLINE SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Section 12. Gender-Based Online Sexual Harassment. -

Section 13. Implementing Bodies for Gender-Based Online Sexual Harassment.

Section 14. Penalties for Gender-Based Online Sexual Harassment. -The penalty of prision correccional in
its medium period or a fine of not less than One hundred thousand pesos (₱100,000.00) but not more
than Five hundred thousand pesos (₱500,000.00), or both, at the discretion of the court shall be
imposed upon any person found guilty of any gender-based online sexual harassment.

on.

ARTICLE III

QUALIFIED GENDER-BASED STREETS, PUBLIC SPACES AND ONLINE SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Section 15. Qualified Gender-Based Streets, Public Spaces and Online Sexual Harassment. -
ARTICLE IV

GENDER-BASED SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE

Section 16. Gender-Based Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. -The crime of gender-based sexual
harassment in the workplace

Section 17. Duties of Employers. -Employers or other persons of authority, influence or moral
ascendancy in a workplace shall have the duty to prevent, deter, or punish the performance of acts of
gender-based sexual harassment in the workplace.

Section 18. Duties of Employees and Co-Workers. -Employees and co-workers shall

Section 19. Liability of Employers.— In addition to liabilities for committing acts of gender-based sexual
harassment,

ARTICLE V

GENDER-BASED SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN

EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING INSTITUTIONS

Section 21. Gender-Based Sexual Harassment in Educational and Training Institutions.— All schools,
whether public or private, shall designate an officer-in-charge to receive complaints regarding violations
of this Act, and shall, ensure that the victims are provided with a gender-sensitive environment that is
both respectful to the victims’ needs and conducive to truth-telling.

Section 22. Duties of School Heads.

Section 23. Liability of School Heads.— In addition to liability for committing acts of gender-based sexual
harassment, principals, school heads, teachers, instructors, professors, coaches, trainers, or any odier
person who has authority, influence or moral ascendancy over another in an educational or training
institution may also be held responsible for:

Section 25. Routine Inspection.— The Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher
Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) shall conduct
regular spontaneous inspections to ensure compliance of school heads with their obligations under this
Act.

ARTICLE VI

COMMON PROVISIONS
Section 26. Confidentiality.— At any stage of the investigation, prosecution and trial of an offense under
this Act, the rights of the victim and the accused who is a minor shall be recognized.

Section 27. Restraining Order.— Where appropriate, the court, even before rendering a final decision,
may issue an order directing the perpetrator to stay away from the offended person at a distance
specified by the court, or to stay away from the residence, school, place of employment, or any specified
place frequented by the offended person.

Section 28. Remedies and Psychological Counselling.— A victim of gender-based street, public spaces or
online sexual harassment may avail of appropriate remedies as provided for under the law

Section 29. Administrative Sanctions.— Above penalties are without prejudice to any administrative
sanctions that may be imposed if the perpetrator is a government employee.

Section 30. Imposition of Heavier Penalties.— Nothing in this Act shall prevent LGUs from coming up
with ordinances that impose heavier penalties for the acts specified herein.

Section 31. Exemptions.— Acts that are legitimate expressions of indigenous culture and tradition, as
well as breastfeeding in public shall not be penalized.

ARTICLE VII

FINAL PROVISIONS

Section 32. PNP Women and Children’s Desks.— The women and children’s desks now existing in all
police stations shall act on and attend to all complaints covered under this Act.

Section 33. Educational Modules and Awareness Campaigns.—

Section 34. Safety Audits. -LGUs are required to conduct safety audits every three (3) years to assess the
efficiency and effectivity of the implementation of this Act within their jurisdiction. Such audits shall be
multisectoral and participatory, with consultations undertaken with schools, police officers, and civil
society organizations.

Section 35. Appropriations.— Such amounts as may be necessary for the implementation of this Act
shall be indicated under the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Section 37. Joint Congressional Oversight Committee.—

Section 38. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).

Section 39. Separability Clause.— If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or unconstitutional, the
remaining provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid and subsisting.
Section 40. Repealing Clause.— Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive order, letter of
instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this
Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended accordingly.

Section 41. Effectivity.— This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official
Gazette or in any two (2) newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.
CAUSES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT

The causes of sexual harassment may vary, but generally they fall under the following categories:
socialisation, supportive environment, power relations, mental health issues/disorders and lack of
awareness. The problem of sexual harassment relates to the roles which are attributed to men and
women in social and economic life, which, in turn, directly or indirectly, affects womens positions in the
labor market.

Thus sexual harassment often accomplishes informally what laws against sex-based discrimination
theoretically prohibit: gender-based requirements for a job. A woman subjected to sexual harassment
endures pressure, degradation or hostility that her male co-workers don't have to endure- making it just
that much harder to compete for the job and for advancement.

PREVENTION AND RESPONSE TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Everyone should be aware of the existence of an anti-sexual harassment policy and the steps in place for
resolving complaints. This can be done by: giving policies to everyone as soon as they are introduced

•making all employees, tenants, students, etc. aware of them by including the policies in any orientation
material

•training people, including people in positions of responsibility, on the contents of the policies, and
providing ongoing education on human rights issues.

An effective sexual harassment policy can limit harm and reduce liability. It also promotes the equity and
diversity goals of organizations and institutions and makes good business sense.

DISCRIMINATION FREE ENVIRONMENT

•Be Sensitive

Be sensitive to and knowledgeable about the issues which commonly arise in workforces comprised of
diverse people. Take the initiative in minimizing potential problems and solving existing ones before
they get worse. Be sensitive to jokes or comments which are intended to be humorous but are often
subtle reminders that a woman, minority or disabled person is “different”

•Recognize Stereotypes

Recognize stereotypes and role expectations and the ways in which they typically limit women and
minority employees. Take steps to minimize such expectations in your organization. Look beyond the
level of your assumptions and don’t rely on stereotypes for information on making decisions which will
affect a person’s career.
Maintaining a Discrimination and Harassment Free Environment. (a) The Employer and Unifor are
committed to providing a harassment free workplace. Harassment is defined as a “course of vexatious
comment or conduct that is known or ought reasonably be known to be unwelcome”, that denies an
individual’s dignity and respect on the basis of the grounds such as gender, disability, race, colour,
sexual orientation or other prohibited grounds,

WOMEN AND ARMORED CONFLICT

Violence experienced by women and girls during armed conflict, ranging from physical, sexual to
psychological violence perpetrated by both state and non-state actors including murder, unlawful
killings, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, abductions, maiming
and mutilation, forced recruitment of women combatants, rape, sexual slavery, sexual exploitation,
involuntary disappearance, arbitrary detention, forced marriage, forced prostitution, forced abortion,
forced pregnancy and forced sterilisation.

Sexual violence has been used during armed conflict for many different reasons, including as a form of
torture, to inflict injury, to extract information, to degrade and intimidate, and to destroy communities.
Rape of women has been used to humiliate opponents, to drive communities and groups off land and to
wilfully spread HIV. Women have been forced to perform sexual and domestic slave labour. Women
have also been abducted and then forced to serve as ‘wives’ to reward fighters.

WOMEN IN PROSTITUTION

The worldwide sexual exploitation of women and children through sex tourism, sexual slavery,
pornography, pedophilia, pederasty, and other means has reached alarming proportions, according to
most authorities, and the explosion in female prostitution in the sex trade industry is of particular
concern.

The concurrent growth in the prostitution of children is seen primarily as a response to the AIDS
epidemic and the belief that younger and virginal prostitutes are free of infection. In reality, however,
children are the most susceptible to AIDS exposure. Several anti-prostitution efforts have been initiated
in recent years to curtail the practice, but most have not made a serious dent in the sex trade industry.
The dynamics of the prostitution of women and girls and ramifications of the sex trade industry and
AIDS transmission are discussed. Prostitution is defined, and consideration is paid to the extent of
female prostitution, types of prostitutes, theories and motivations surrounding prostitution, and the
relationship between female prostitution and AIDS. Prostitution is examined in relation to drug use,
crime, victimization, teenage involvement, runaway and throwaway girls, pimps, child sexual abuse, the
relationship between female prostitution and pornography, child pornography, customers of female
prostitutes, male prostitutes, and decriminalization and legalization of prostitution. References, notes,
tables, and figures.
IMPACT AND IMPORTANCE OF GENDER ROLES TO YOU AND IN SOCIETY.

We all know that Gender is not only what you see in front of you, the sex you were born with, but also
how you think, feel act and react in some situations. It is how you were raised to be and how you
shaped yourself to become as you grew up. It is a fascinating blend of biological, psychological, and
sociological features. Gender Roles Since the start of humankind, unique things have been performed
by way of men or women based on their physical activity. Society always divides everything into two
classes: one is masculine behaviour, another is feminine behaviour. If I take work that would also be
judged based on this work is manly or girly. Even though society has held onto sex stereotypes as a
standard, sexual orientation generalization should not be grasped because it restricts the individual from
playing out specific exercises, going after particular positions, wearing or utilizing specific shading
dependent on the sex

. The society described gender roles as social norms that should be followed by everyone in the
community. Whereas human rights say that people have their freedom to do anything they are
comfortable with. According to society, cooking, shopping, gardening, dancing are girly works. And
earning money by doing a job, singing, are manly works. Generally, men are expected to be dominant
and robust role. And Women are expected to be soft and dominating role. There are some stereotypes
examples we can discuss. The first and popular one is society, or any ethnic, cultural community thinks
that a woman would be more emotional, weak from heart, and men are strong and robust from the
heart. Even if there is a proverb called, a man never cries. We sometimes assume that if a woman is
doing a job, she would be a doctor or a teacher, and a man would be an engineer or lawyer. Where they
have the choice to do anything they want to do. But still, they are being criticized for their jobs. Even if a
woman gets a promotion in a corporate job, people judge her.

Our society has a bunch of thoughts regarding how we anticipate that people should dress, carry on,
and introduce themselves, which are called gender roles. The general role is about how a man and a
woman live. And for these gender stereotypes, homosexuals are mostly affected. And they can’t express
themselves. Before 2020, there were many countries where homosexuality was a crime. Now India
decriminalized section 377 and declared that homosexuality is not a crime.But in other fields, corporate
sectors described works based on genders. They sometimes don’t appoint a woman as she can have
period leave and maternity leave. On the other hand, whenever a man gets promoted, people say that
he oiled his boss or gave a gamble for promotion.Today’s generation is aware of this general role. They
want equal respect for everyone. From their perspective, they think people should get the care and
everything, including a job based on their ability. And this thought can change the world. This thought
will make a bullying free, respectful world.
Be a Voice, Not an Echo
To be a voice means to embrace your different-ness, to be daring, to take a chance and to take the
road less travelled. This is to realize that you are different and thinking differently is the right thing, it’s
what makes you express your nature. This is what being in sync with nature is all about. Being a voice
means you are the original, you are in rhythm with the universe. “The individual has always had to
struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and
sometimes frightened. But, no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.” It’s not easy
to be your own person. When you are one with nature, getting an idea makes you feel like you are
sitting on a pin, it makes you jump and do something without worrying about what will people say

Your Power is your radical self

I do believe that no matter gender role, sexual orientation, or classification a person’s superpower is
being their complete and true self! IEven though I do disagree that there are neutral genders or third
genders, I have never been a judgmental person. I am big on people living their life they way THEY
WANT TO! So overall, my first time reading about gender role (first chapter in Gender Stories) I found it
very interesting to hear different perspectives about gender roles.

We do have the choice to change all of these things are we get older though. As we get older, we have
the choice to choose how we dress, the choice of our partners, and even how we identify. The question
is if we choose to identify as woman even though we were born a man, does that mean we are not a
man? While I respect other’s decisions, I still believe that no matter what a male is a male and a female
is a female. It is okay to be one sex and live “the life” a different sex. I personally just think, every still
classifies as the sex that they were born..