Despite having good laws, the conviction rate for domestic abuse cases is low
Filipino women join a rally to call for the end of domestic violence in the capital Manila. (Photo courtesy of Martin Dela Cruz)
About 250 women marched on the Philippine capital Manila on Dec. 8 to mark the Catholic Church’s solemnity of the Immaculate Conception by calling for an end to rising domestic violence.
Members of the Samahan ng mga Kababaihan Laban sa Opresyon (Women’s Group against Oppression) including those who claimed to have been abused by their spouses, gathered outside the Commission on Human Rights to press home their demands.
The women want greater legal protection such as higher and faster conviction rates of perpetrators. They also demanded that the commission investigate cases of marital rape, which although outlawed in the Philippines, enforcement is often seen as lacking.
The women’s group claimed that although there were “good” laws to protect women’s rights, the present conviction rate is low.
“Physical violence tops the chart, followed by psychological or verbal abuse”
“Out of the 16,000 complaints of the alleged violation of the Violation against Women and their Children’s Act, the conviction rate is less than 20 percent or less than 2,000 accused were found guilty by the court and went to jail. The rest were acquitted, or their trials were delayed,” the group’s lawyer Vanessa Morato told UCA News.
Remembering the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and honoring Mary and her role in the salvation of mankind was an apt occasion to “lament the rising cases of domestic abuse against women in the Philippines,” the group’s spokeswoman Carol Ambion told UCA News.
Ambion was referring to a recent commission report citing a sharp increase in sexual and physical violence against women during Covid pandemic lockdowns.
Even before the pandemic hit, a Philippine National Demographic and Health survey said in 2017 that one in four Filipino women aged 15-49 has experienced physical, emotional or sexual abuse by their partner or husband.
The Human Rights Commission cited the lockdowns as the primary cause behind why more women were being attacked by their spouses.
“Physical violence tops the chart, followed by psychological or verbal abuse. Third is sexual violence, particularly when men forced their spouses to have sex with them against their will. In this country, we already have the concept of marital rape but the majority of our members being raped by a spouse is an obligation,” women’s rights advocate Gina Pascual told UCA News.
In 2022, the women’s group conducted a survey among housewives throughout the archipelago if their husband’s presence during the lockdown made them feel secure.
“You will be surprised, more than 40 percent answered in the negative which means they were not happy and secure in the presence of their husband,” Ambion added.
“He hit me with a hot iron while I was doing the ironing”
One woman said the pandemic meant her husband had to stay at home which made them quarrel “more often” which led to physical abuse.
“There was a day when he hit me with a hot iron while I was doing the ironing. More time together led to more exposure to fighting. It’s that simple,” housewife Ariane Gazmen told UCA News.
In 2021, the Philippine National Police recorded more than 16,000 complaints of alleged abuses against Filipino women.
This was a 32% increase based on the number of formal complaints involving the violation of women’s rights, according to the police.
Government officials, however, said the number was just the tip of the iceberg.
“There could be more. We know there are still hundreds of thousands out there who remain silent,” said Chona Balbuena, superintendent of the national police’s Women’s Desk.
Balbuena noted that reported cases prove that there are children, girls, and women who are currently trapped with abusers, thus facing greater risks of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, she added.
An official from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) lauded the group for standing for women’s rights while making Mary their pillar of courage and truth.
“Mary is honored today by those who seek justice and peace. Many women are in a situation where their spouses subject them to all forms of abuse. May Mary inspire them to speak out not to dissolve their marriage- but to avail the available legal remedies to protect their rights,” Father Rico Ayo, executive secretary of the CBCP Commission on Family and Life, told UCA News.
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