Rising to the Challenge of Eliminating All Forms of Violence Against Women and Girls

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In line with its commitment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the Philippines has already passed various laws that provide protection against acts of violence against women and children (VAWC), such as the Anti-Rape Law, the Anti-VAWC Act, and the Magna Carta for Women. Despite the presence of these laws, however, this Policy Note still indicates a limited improvement in reported experiences of women. More than 6 in every 10 girls, for instance, still experience physical violence in the Philippines. The study also reveals that the reported experience of cyberviolence among the Filipino youth is still at 42.2 percent. As part of its recommendations, it urges the government to pass more preventive programs and strengthen institutions and support mechanisms against human trafficking, VAWC, and harassment. Given that the lack of protection for women and the promotion of gender equality is a problem not only of women but also of men, the study also calls for deeper examinations of the beliefs and deficits of law enforcement front liners, who are usually men, to design interventions that would provide more discipline to the discretion exercised by these officials.