The topic of domestic violence is becoming important especially during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Domestic violence is considered as a “pervasive social problem”. According to the 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, one in four Filipino women aged 15-49 has experienced physical, emotional or sexual violence by their husband or partner.
Every year, an 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW) supports the Philippine government’s goal of protecting the human rights of women and girls by upholding its commitment to address all forms of gender-based violence. This is an advocacy campaign that is observed annually from November 25 to December 12 as mandated by law. Today is the second to the last day in its 2020 celebration.
By law, government agencies are mandated to raise awareness on the problem of violence and the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls. For this webinar, our hypothesis is that this domestic violence may have increased during the COVID pandemic caused by stresses due to lack of jobs, thus threatening hunger, and the lockdown per se. The implementation of varying community quarantine measures may have hindered victims to seek help, report the abuse, and/or escape their perpetrators due to the suspension of public transportation, strict orders to stay home, and limited issuance of quarantine passes.
Part of the DOST-NAST COVID-19 webinar series “Where We Are and Where We Want To Be”, the activity aims to characterize the "shadow pandemic" or violence against girls and women across the country in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, identify good practices in dealing with the matter, and recommend actions to end or minimize domestic violence.
You may download the Full Report on the Shadow Pandemic Webinar