By Gabriela Baron
Senator Risa Hontiveros who refiled "The Divorce Act of 2019" seeks to include violence against women as a strong ground for dissolution of marriage.
Senator Risa Hontiveros (Photo from Risa Hontiveros official Facebook page)
Unlike in annulment, which the Philippines currently has, violence against women is not a strong ground for separation.
"Kailangang repeated physical abuse. E kung minsang in-assault 'yong babae, even if it was a very grievous injury she suffered, she cannot sue for separation." (It needs to be a repeated physical abuse. But what if a woman only suffered one grievous injury? She still cannot sue for separation.) said Hontiveros during an interview with ANC.
In the senator's proposal, it doesn't have to be a repeated abuse.
According to Hontiveros, Philippine Statistics Authority says that 1 in 4 women suffer long spousal abuse.
"Women are more vulnerable to be trapped in these abusive, even violent, unhealthy, loveless unions because of the lack of economic and legal recourses."
Other grounds for the dissolution of marriage include irreconcilable differences, psychological incapacity, and marital rape.