Seminars on laws on violence against women were held in February 2023. These included Republic Act No. 9262 or the Anti-Violence against Women and their Children Act of 2004, Republic Act No. 11313 or the Safe Spaces Act, Republic Act No. 11596 on Prohibition of Child Marriage, Republic Act No. 11648 which amends the Anti-Rape Law of 1997 and Republic Act 11862 or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022. A total of 289 participants attended the seminars in the seven barangays.
Resource persons included Atty. Kristine Marciana L. Laplana, Atty. Noemi T. Abarientos and Atty. Kim Mendoza who are all involved in extending legal aid to women survivors of violence. What was noteworthy was that participants shared their experiences and the experiences of their fellow members and neighbors who were survivors of VAW.
Another issue was that they did not know about the Child Marriage Law that prohibits marriage of a child 18 years of age to get married or cohabitate with another person. The participants said that this is very common, especially teenagers who become pregnant live with their boyfriends, and that according to the law, their parents who facilitate this cohabitation are liable under the law. The audience also realized that they can refuse to have sex with their husbands if they are tired from their day’s work of household chores since forced sex is a form of marital rape and they have the right to refuse sex with their husbands.
They also realized that VAW does not only mean physical abuse but also emotional abuse and financial abuse which are quite common among them. But now, the participants know that these are violations of the law and will assert their rights to their husbands to be free from such abuse.