Jocelyn was only 17 when she had her first boyfriend, Tommy. She was madly in love with him but her parents were against him as he came from a poor family. But despite the objections of her parents, she continued to see him. In fact, she had given herself to him completely.
At one time, the sweethearts were dating when her mother caught them. Right there and then, she told Tommy that they won’t allow him to marry their daughter. In fact, they have already arranged a wedding for Jocelyn to a much older man, Roman. There was a gap of 9 years between Jocelyn and Roman but it didn’t matter.
Roman was a wealthy businessman and the parents thought Jocelyn will have a good future in him. “We want you to be in good hands,” the mother told her daughter.
The two were married. In the beginning, Roman showered Jocelyn with gifts. Despite this, she didn’t reciprocate his love. A year later, she delivered a healthy little boy.
It was at this time that Roman started drinking. He went home very late and drunk at that. It was a matter of time that he slapped her whenever he arrived and hear their son crying out loud.
As weeks went by, Roman would already punched her. At one time, she went home very late because she was caught in a traffic. He told her that she was seeing another man. And so, he slapped and punched her. Not contented, he kicked her.
It was the beginning of her nightmare. Until finally, she had the courage to escape. One night, when Roman was drunk and sleeping, she brought her son out and went straight to her parents. She revealed everything to them.
Feminists and health and social workers call it violence against women (VAW). The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (1993) defines VAW as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”
In the Philippines, Republic Act 9262, more popularly known as the Violence Against Women and their Children Law, was passed in 2004. It broadened the definition of abuse to include physical, emotional and economic harm. It also made violence by an intimate partner (anyone with whom a woman has a sexual relationship) a public crime, and made it possible for anyone – not just the victim – to file a case against a perpetrator.
Intimate partner violence refers to “behavior in an intimate relationship that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm, including physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse, and controlling behaviors.”
Sexual violence is “any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, unwanted sexual comments or advances, or acts to traffic, or otherwise directed against a person’s sexuality using coercion, by any person regardless of their relationship to the victim, in any setting.” It includes “rape, defined as the physically forced or otherwise coerced penetration of the vulva or anus with a penis, other body part or object.”
The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) said one out of 5 Filipino women experienced physical violence since age 15; 6 in 100 women reported having experienced sexual violence; and 4% of women experienced physical violence during pregnancy. However, only 3 out of 10 women sought help to stop the violence.
“Many victims of abuses choose not to report these incidents due to lack of awareness about their legal rights,” said Senator Loren Legarda, author of various laws on the protection of women. “We have diligently toiled to enact pieces of legislation to protect the rights of women and promote their welfare. The greater the challenge is to effectively implement these laws and educate women on their rights.”
Since RA 9262 was passed, the number of VAW cases has been steadily increasing. “From 2006 to the present, there has been a constant increase,” said an official of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
According to the PNP Women and Children’s Protection Unit, there were 12, 948 reported cases in 2011 – up from 4,954 cases in 2006. That’s a rise of more than 150%! An initial report from January to April 2012, about 5,629 cases had already been filed.
In Davao Region, the regional division office of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) singled out Davao City in 2011 as having “the most number of victims of violence against women in all age brackets.”
Quoting data from the PNP Regional Command XI, NSCB said VAW cases such as rape, physical assault, acts of lasciviousness in the city, increased from 2009 to 2010. In 2010, the reported cases of VAW increased by 46.5% mostly in terms of RA 9262. When combined with rape cases, the reported cases of 48.6% increased by 84.5%.
“These increases may be attributed to: either more women are being raped; physically, sexually, psychologically harmed or economically abused in Davao City or more Davaoeñas are willing to come out and report on the gender based abuses committed against them,” the NSCB surmised.
VAW causes more death and disability among women aged 15 to 44 than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents or even war, according to a briefing released by the London-based Panos Institute. The World Health Organization (WHO) believes that at least one in five women has been physically or sexually abused by a man at some time in her life. Several studies show that women are more at risk from their husbands, fathers, neighbors or colleagues than they are from strangers.
A study done in Western Visayas showed that 43% of the married women who were surveyed said they were afraid to refuse their husbands’ sexual advances, often because refusal might cause their husbands to beat them.
“Pregnant women who have experienced violence are more likely to delay seeking prenatal care and to gain insufficient weight,” Population Reports noted. “They are also more likely to have a history of sexually transmitted infections, unwanted or mistimed pregnancies, vaginal and cervical infections, kidney infections, and bleeding during pregnancy.”
Violence has also been linked with increased risk of miscarriages and abortions, premature labor, and fetal distress. Likewise, it may affect pregnancy outcome indirectly by increasing women’s likelihood of engaging in such harmful health behaviors as smoking and alcohol and drug abuse.
Sexual and physical violence appears to increase women’s risk for many common gynecological disorders, particularly chronic pelvic pain, which accounts for as many as 10% of all gynecological visits and one-quarter of all hysterectomies.
Other gynecological disorders associated with sexual violence include irregular vaginal bleeding, vaginal discharge, painful menstruation, pelvic inflammatory disease, and sexual dysfunction (difficulty in orgasms, lack of desire, and conflicts over frequency of sex.
“Violence has been linked to many serious health problems, both immediate and long-term,” Population Reports said. These include physical health problems, such as injury, chronic pain syndromes, and gastrointestinal disorders, and a range of mental health problems, including anxiety and depression.
Violence is a major cause of injury to women, ranging from relatively minor cuts and bruises to permanent disability and death. “Injuries such as bruises, burns, cuts and broken bones are the most common result of gender violence in the home and community,” Panos reported.
In its most extreme form, violence kills women. In Canada, Israel and Brazil, Panos said that women are more likely to be murdered by a husband or intimate partner than anyone else. A study done in Russia showed that every fifth murder victim is killed by a spouse and women are the victims in most cases.
According to Population Reports, 40-70% of homicides of women are committed by intimate partners, often in the context of an abusive relationship. In comparison, “only a small portion of men who are murdered by their female partners, and in such cases the women are defending themselves or retaliating against abusive men.”
In the Philippines, “a serious cause of concern” is how the United Nations health agency described the level of sexual violence in the country. The country is home to more than 100 million people; it is a traditionally patriarchal, male-dominated society, but there are no ready answers to explain in the recent spike.
While VAW cases keep on increasing, there are still cases that are go unreported. The reason: these people believe violence against women is accepted. “There is too much tolerance of violence in our culture,” explains Tet Balay-on, the knowledge management officer of Women’s Crisis Center. “Men think it is part of being a man, women think it is part of being in a relationship.” (To be concluded)
