Filipina women secretly or openly suffering physical, sexual or psychological violence are urged to report to their barangays, particularly to the Barangay Violence Against Women (VAW) Desks.
According to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), around 88 percent or 37,178 of more than 42,000 barangays in the country have already established their Barangay VAW Desks based on the latest records of the National Barangay Operations Office (NBOO).
The NBOO is the DILG office in charge of closely and continuously monitoring the establishment of Barangay VAW Desks.
NBOO Director Leocadio T. Trovela says, “Starting next year, the DILG will be annually checking the operation of Barangay VAW Desks by monitoring its functionality.”
Trovela also says that the monitoring of Barangay VAW Desks’ functionality shall be based on its establishment, resources, policies, plans and budget, and accomplishments.
The set of indicators, he explains, is the result of the DILG’s collaboration with the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) and the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC).
“For those barangays which have no VAW Desk yet, an advisory will be issued reiterating its establishment,” he says.
Meanwhile, the Department is also acting on President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive in his first and second State of the Nation Address “to fully implement the Magna Carta of Women to the barangay level.”
The Magna Carta of Women or Republic Act No. 9710 is a comprehensive women’s human rights law that seeks to eliminate discrimination against women by recognizing, protecting, fulfilling and promoting the rights of Filipino women, especially those in marginalized sector.
All rights in the Philippine Constitution and those rights recognized under international instruments duly signed and ratified by the Philippines, in consonance with Philippine laws are under the Magna Carta of Women.
Currently, NBOO is facilitating the distribution of reference and learning materials on VAW to all DILG field offices to help them in the provision of technical assistance to the barangays in the discharge of their duties and responsibilities especially in providing the necessary support to VAW victim-survivors, eliminating all forms of discrimination against women in the community, and promoting and upholding the rights of women. ###
