The Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed its “full commitment and support” to end all forms of violence and discrimination against women as it kicked off its annual commemoration of the 18-day “Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW)” that starts on Friday, Nov. 25.
In message to officials and employees, Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo said that the SC’s Committee on Gender Responsiveness in the Judiciary (CGRJ) “has been undertaking the necessary reforms mandated under several laws affecting women and children.”
Some of these reforms, he said, are the promulgation of new or amendment of existing procedural rules; the establishment of family courts to handle exclusively cases involving family, child, juvenile and women victims of violence; and the adoption of policies pursuant to the Gender and Development Program.
He pointed out that early this year, the SC approved the Guidelines on the Use of Gender-Fair Language in the Judiciary and Gender-Fair Courtroom Etiquette – “a product of the CGRJ’s efforts to combat sexist language in the Judiciary, by including sensitivity towards persons with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics, or SOGIESC.”
He explained that the guidelines are in line with Republic Act No. 11313, the Safe Spaces Act, which prohibits and penalizes several forms of gender-based sexual harassment.
“As the bastion of justice in this country, we cannot continue with indifference and apathy,” the Chief Justice said as he enjoined “the unity and cooperation not only from members of the Judiciary, but from other sectors, organizations, and civil society groups.”
The yearly “Campaign to End Violence Against Women” from Nov. 25 until Dec. 12 is mandated under Proclamation 1172 issued on Nov. 17, 2006 by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
A 2017 survey released by the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that “one in four Filipino women, aged 15-49, has experienced physical, emotional or sexual violence from husband or partner.”
In a press statement issued by the SC’s public information office (PIO), Gesmundo said that “increasing access to justice is one of the pillars of the Court’s reform agenda, the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations or SPJI, which seeks to enhance court processes and capabilities towards the delivery of responsive and real-time justice.”
Through the programs envisioned in the SPJI, “we aim to make more efficient legal aid service in the hope of helping the vulnerable and disadvantaged communities in the country,” he said.
The CGRJ is co-chaired by SC Associate Justices Henri Jean Paul B. Inting, Jhosep Y. Lopez, and Maria Filomena D. Singh,
In his message, Justice Lopez stressed the value of the theme for this year’s “End VAW Campaign -- United for a VAW-Free Philippines -- which “emphasizes the importance of combining individual efforts for a strong drive towards gender equality and elimination of VAW.”
Lopez said “the theme encourages everyone’s participation as truly the visions of the campaign can only be achieved through responsive and active collective efforts towards a VAW-free nation.”
Justice Singh, on the other hand, cited statistics that show that ‘women continue to suffer from violence despite the annual End VAW Campaign, necessitating an increased involvement from the members of the Judiciary.”
“Our job is not just to adjudicate cases; it is also our job to inform others about their rights when we see that their rights are being violated and they seem not to be aware of the remedies available to them,” she said.
Justice Singh urged judiciary officials and personnel: “Let us move away from the traditional way of thinking of our role in society and let us be more involved in what we see around us, in our families, in our communities, in our offices.”
The PIO said that as part of the SC’s “End VAW Campaign,” a series of activities will be conducted by the Office of Administrative Services, through its Employee Training and Development Division and in coordination with the CGRJ, open to interested SC employees: Dec. 1 and 5, online trainings on RA 11313 and RA 9262, the Anti-Violence against Women and Children, respectively; Dec. 6, a webinar on “The Many Faces of Violence”; and Dec. 7, film screenings of “Walang Rape sa Bontok.”
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