SC joins 18-day global campaign to end violence vs women
The Supreme Court (SC) rallied all officials and personnel of the judiciary to participate actively in the 18-day global movement to End Violence Against Women (EndVAW).
Under Proclamation No, 1172 issued in 2006, EndVAW is held from Nov. 25 to Dec. 12 yearly. It is spearheaded by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) with the Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against Women and their Children (IACVAWC).
A 2022 report stated that one in five women aged 15 to 49 had experienced physical, sexual or emotional violence from their husband or intimate partner. Globally, the report also stated, the ratio is one in three women.
To highlight the judiciary’s participation in the 18-day campaign, the SC conducted on Tuesday, Nov. 28, an outreach program with its chosen beneficiary, Welcome House Paco, “a recognized crisis intervention center in the country which offers impartial and competent help for people in crisis or emotionally troubled or distressed.”
The SC, through Deputy Clerk of Court and Chief Administrative Officer Atty. Maria Carina A. Matammu-Cunanan, encouraged officials and employees to donate in kind for turnover to Welcome House Paco.
During the flag raising ceremony, Committee on Gender Responsiveness in the Judiciary (CGRJ) Co-Chairpersons Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul B. Inting, Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez, and Associate Justice Maria D. Singh each gave a message to encourage all members of the judiciary to do their part in ending violence against women.
Messages of the three justices were summarized in a press statement issued by the SC’s public information office (PIO).
Justice Inting stressed that awareness is the “the key in the elimination of violence against women” and thus, he said, the judiciary takes an active role in this campaign by initiating mechanisms to address gender-based violence and has consistently enjoined the trial courts to give primacy to cases involving women and children, among other priority cases.
Under the five-year Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations (SPJI), the SC had approved the Guidelines on the Use of Gender-Fair Language in the Judiciary and Gender-Fair Courtroom Etiquette.
“Now more than ever, particularly with what is happening globally, we need to own the campaign to end violence against women and take it upon ourselves to create a safe space for women,” Justice Inting said.
Justice Lopez told the judiciary officials and employees that the collaborative efforts orchestrated by the CGRJ and the Office of Administrative Services (OAS) “will not merely be events on the calendar but catalysts for change.”
He said: “Together, let us raise awareness about the imperative of a VAW-free society, dismantle gender biases, and vehemently uphold women’s rights. Let our actions speak of love, mutual respect, and unity transcending all genders.”
Justice Singh, on the other hand, urged officials and personnel to live by the Guidelines on the Use of Gender-Fair Language in the Judiciary and Gender-Fair Courtroom Etiquette as she stressed that “such was not only applicable in the drafting of Court issuances but also in our daily dealings with other people.”
The lady justice emphasized the utmost importance of gender sensitivity, saying that “inclusivity is present once we are sensitive to each other.”
She also said: “Once we have sensitivity and exclusivity, that’s when we can actually dream of equality. I urge everybody to be more mindful, more conscious, more aware of how we can be more sensitive towards each other. Even just in our environment, in our institution, if we can exercise that then we can set a good example. Because after all, we are the judicial branch of the government and we should be the leader in upholding the Rule of Law.”