Gian Arnie T.

Manalastas BSSW 3B

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AS A GLOBAL ISSUE

Violence against women is a global concern that perpetually threaten the well-being of
women around the world. Thus, violence against women should be a global priority to protect the
cause and well-being of women.

Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004, defines
violence against women as “any act or a series of acts committed by any person against a woman
who is his wife, former wife, or against a woman with whom the person has or had a sexual or
dating relationship, or with whom he has a common child, or against her child whether legitimate or
illegitimate, with or without the family abode, which result in or is likely to result in physical, sexual,
psychological harm or suffering, or economic abuse including threats of such acts, battery, assault,
coercion, harassment or arbitrary deprivation of liberty.”

According to United Nations, violence against women are acts of gender-based violence
committed that causes or may caused physical, sexual, or mental suffering or distress. This
includes coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether they are happening in public or private
life of the victim of such act.

As stated by the Philippine Commission on Women, VAW includes act of physical violence that
inflicts physical harm or acts that may harm the body. Sexual violence is anything that includes
sexual act such as penetration and etc, committed against a woman or her child/children.
Psychological violence or an act which causes or likely causes mental or emotional suffering or
distress to the victim. Economic abuse includes act that makes a woman financially dependent and
deprives her financially.

Data gathered by the UN shows that about 1 in 3 (30%) of women worldwide have been subjected
to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their
lifetime. Over a quarter of women aged 15-49 years who have been in a relationship have been
subjected to physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner at least once in their lifetime
(since age 15). The prevalence estimates of lifetime intimate partner violence range from 20% in
the Western Pacific, 22% in high-income countries and Europe and 25% in the WHO Regions of 
the Americas to 33% in the WHO African region, 31% in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region,
and 33% in the WHO South-East Asia region. Globally as many as 38% of all murders of women
are committed by intimate partners. In addition to intimate partner violence, globally 6% of women
report having been sexually assaulted by someone other than a partner, although data for non-
partner sexual violence are more limited. Intimate partner and sexual violence are mostly
perpetrated by men against women.
The United Nations cited factors that perpetuates violence against women:

lower levels of education (perpetration of sexual violence and experience of sexual violence), a
history of exposure to child maltreatment (perpetration and experience), witnessing family violence
(perpetration and experience), antisocial, personality disorder (perpetration), harmful use of alcohol
(perpetration and experience), harmful masculine behaviors, including having multiple partners or
attitudes that condone violence (perpetration), community norms that privilege or ascribe higher
status to men and lower status to women, low levels of women’s access to paid employment and
low level of gender equality (discriminatory laws, etc.), past history of exposure to violence, marital
discord and dissatisfaction, difficulties in communicating between partners and male controlling
behaviors towards their partners. beliefs in family honor and sexual purity, ideologies of male
sexual entitlement and weak legal sanctions for sexual violence.

As a future professional social worker, I will participate in policy making and social
movements that aims to end violence against women and promote the well-being of the aforesaid
and give justice to the victims of such act. I will join groups and organizations which advocacy is to
end violence against women such as Women’s Crisis Center which caters victims of violence.
They offer services such as counselling, therapy services and financial assistance to the aforesaid.
They also provide training and education program regarding violence against women to improve
the safety of women.

Spreading of Awareness regarding violence against women is very important that is why, as a
social worker, I want to organize seminars and workshops regarding violence against and
highlights the consequences of committing such act. I want to show the importance of women in
our society and their impact. Workshops on how can women can protect themselves against
violence will also be an important part of my advocacy as a social worker

One aspect that i also want to participate as a social worker, which is of vital importance, is in
policy formulation. Policies such as the Anti-Vawc Act, the safe space act and etc, which ensures
the safety and security of women against any form of gender-based violence are needed to be
intensify and ensure their full implementation. In this regard, I will coordinate with relevant agencies
and formulate actions and mechanisms that will ensure every stipulations in these policies were
strictly implemented to achieve their goals and purpose.

Provision of services to women who are victims violence will also be part of my advocacy. Services
such as free counseling, legal consultations, or any services deemed necessary for the aforesaid
will be my priority and will coordinate with relevant agencies such as the Philippine Commission on
Women, Department of Social Welfare and Development to materialize this and the other
abovementioned advocacy.