THE PHILIPPINES just ended the annual 18-day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW) which started on November 25 and culminated on December 12. This year’s theme is “United for a VAW-Free Philippines: Advancing Equality, Empowering Women.”
This is part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence global campaign initiated in 1991 by the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute convened by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA.
What started as a small activist initiative has grown into one of the world’s most widespread social justice campaigns. It has become a global movement with over 187 countries participating and more than 6,000 organizations worldwide working together to raise awareness and action against violence towards women and girls.
The 16 days annually run globally from November 25 to December 10. November 25 was chosen to honor the Mirabal sisters, political activists in the Dominican Republic who were brutally murdered on that date in 1960 for opposing the dictator Rafael Trujillo while December 10 is International Human Rights Day. Ending the campaign on this day powerfully frames violence against women as a fundamental violation of human rights.
The Philippine campaign is unique because it extended it for another two days until December 12, to highlight human trafficking as a severe form of violence against women. December 12 commemorates the signing in 2000 of the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.
Since starting the global campaign in 1991, worldwide efforts to end VAW have achieved concrete progress in some areas, but the overall prevalence remains high, and many significant challenges persist.
In terms of legal and policy frameworks, more than 540 laws and policies have been adopted or strengthened, with 50 countries having stronger National Action Plans. However, 86 countries still lack adequate domestic violence laws, and 39 lack laws against workplace sexual harassment.
When it comes to justice and enforcement of the laws, although conviction rates for VAW doubled in 13 countries, global data on bringing perpetrators to justice remains limited and uneven.
As for prevention and intervention services, campaigns have reached an estimated 385 million people worldwide, and around 3 million women and girls accessed support services. An estimated 21 million cases of violence have reportedly been prevented. However, in 2022, only 0.2 percent of global development aid targeted violence prevention, and a severe shortage of shelters and housing forces many to return to abusers.
So despite these gains, one in three women (or an estimated 840 million) still experiences physical/sexual violence.
In 2023, 51,000 women (or 60 percent of all female homicides) were killed by intimate partners. In the US alone, three women are killed by a partner every day.
The global data shows a complex reality. One one hand, the creation of stronger legal systems and support networks is a significant achievement. On the other hand, these systemic gains have not yet translated into a rapid decline in the number of women experiencing violence.
The problem is worsened by underfunding, humanitarian crises, and deeply rooted social norms. Women in least-developed countries, conflict zones, and marginalized communities face disproportionately higher risks.
The situation in the Philippines mirrors the global one. It has developed a strong legal and institutional framework to address VAW, except for a significant legal barrier — the lack of legal divorce.
Filipino women in abusive marriages can only seek annulment (which is costly and lengthy) or legal separation (which does not dissolve the marriage). This is considered a significant structural barrier trapping women in abusive relationships.
According to the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), 17.5 percent of women aged 15-49 experience physical, sexual, and emotional violence from an intimate partner. But VAW-Free advocates are saying this figure only reflects the reported cases.
Unfortunately, in the Philippines, a “culture of silence” prevails, with studies indicating that only about 30 percent of victims seek help from authorities. Reasons include shame, fear of reprisal, lack of faith in the justice system, and economic dependence on the abuser.
This problem is linked to deep-seated patriarchal norms and gender inequality. Societal attitudes oftentimes blame victims, viewing violence as a result of women being “neglectful” or “flirtatious.” The classic “you made me do it” justification.
Research points to common elements in successful prevention programs like (1) engaging all genders and transforming social norms; (2) empowering women and girls economically and socially; (3) strengthening services for survivors (health, legal, social); (4) creating safer environments in homes, schools, workplaces, and public spaces; (5) investing early to prevent violence against children and adolescents. The United Nation’s RESPECT framework outlines these key policy actions.
Sadly, after more than three decades of the global campaign to end VAW, the world still has not decisively reduced the violence experienced by women. Uniting our efforts and accelerating progress requires moving from commitment to large-scale, well-funded implementation of what is known to work. As my feminist godmother, Irene Santiago, would say: “It has to be big and fast, not small and slow.”
A VAW-Free Philippines is an important, serious, and urgent goal. The government must invest more billions in ending violence than in perpetuating it.
