Quezon
City– Out of five women, three have experienced sexual harassment in commuting within Metro Manila. According to a new research, “Baseline Study on How safe are women in our city streets”, commissioned by then Quezon City Local Government and United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (UN Women). What's even more alarming is that one in three of these women experienced the worst forms of sexual harassment such as witnessing a male masturbates and rubbing or groping (panghihipo) inside the MRT/jeepneys..
The first press conference was held at QCX Museum where the research has been launched. It reveals the amendment passed by the Local Government of Quezon City to Gender and Development Code in the increase of the penalty of sexual harassment and sexual violence against women in public spaces to a range of one to five thousand pesos (Php1,000 to Php5,000) for the varying severity of offenses.
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Photo Credits: Pat Buenaobra |
During the press conference, while they were discussing the problem of the frequent street harassment, De Castro
observed, "We know about it, we are offended by it, but we don't know how
to prevent it." The research reported that
eighty-eight percent (88%)of women aged 18-24 years, have experienced some form
of sexual harassment in their lives, but more than half do not report or do
anything about it.
This is why the LGU partnered with
UN Women to implement the Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces Global Initiative.
QC is the first city in Metro Manila to be one of over 24 cities around the
world in the programme to stop street harassment and sexual violence against women and girls
(SVAWG) in public spaces with funding from Spanish Agency for International
Cooperation and Development (AECID).
The second event was a grand assembly of 1000 supporters who
released sky lanterns to light up the Quezon City skyline and called for safe
cities where women are free from fear and free from all forms of street
harassment and sexual violence.
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Photo Credits: Pat Buenaobra |
Guiang
expressed, “This is such an important issue and we are grateful that for the
first timewe have a programme on women’s safety in public spaces and educating
everyone that sexual harassment of women
in any form is not acceptable.”
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