Circular No. 2010-2 requiring all local government units to establish violence against women desk in every barangay.
WHEREAS, the establishment of Violence Against Women and Their Children Desk in every barangay provides for an intervention that will raise the consciousness of the public in recognizing the dignity of women, ensuring support for victims, bringing perpetrators to justice and making a long term plan to prevent violence in all forms;
NOW, THEREFORE, the Sangguniang Bayan of Urbiztondo hereby ordains and decrees:
SECTION 1. TITLE. This Ordinance shall be known and cited as an “Ordinance Establishing Violence Against Women and Their Children (VAWC) Desk in Every Barangay of the Municipality of Urbiztondo and Launch Protocol in Handling VAWC Cases at Barangay Level”.
SECTION 2. DEFINITION OF TERMS. For the purpose of this ordinance, the following terms and phrases shall apply:
2.1 Battered Woman Syndrome - refers to a scientifically defined pattern of psychological and behavioral symptoms found in women living in battering relationships as a result of cumulative abuse.
2.2 Battery - refers to an act of inflicting physical harm upon the woman or her child resulting to the physical and psychological or emotional distress.
2.3 Children - refers to those below eighteen (18) years of age or older but are incapable of taking care of themselves as defined under Republic Act No. 7610. As used in this Act, it includes the biological children of the victim and other children under her care.
2.4 Dating relationship - refers to a situation wherein the parties live as husband and wife without the benefit of marriage or are romantically involved over time and on a continuing basis during the course of the relationship. A casual acquaintance or ordinary socialization between two individuals in a business or social context is not a dating relationship.
2.5 Safe place or shelter - refers to any home or institution maintained or managed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) or by any other agency or voluntary organization accredited by the DSWD for the purposes of this Act or any other suitable place the resident of which is willing temporarily to receive the victim.
2.6 Sexual relations - refers to a single sexual act which may or may not result in the bearing of a common child.
2.7 Stalking - refers to an intentional act committed by a person who, knowingly and without lawful justification follows the woman or her child or places the woman or her child under surveillance directly or indirectly or a combination thereof.
2.8 Violence Against Women and Their Children (VAWC) - refers to any act or a series of acts committed by any person against a woman who is his wife, former wife, or against a woman with whom the person has or had a sexual or dating relationship, or with whom he has a common child, or against her child whether legitimate or illegitimate, within or without the family abode, which result in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological harm or suffering, or economic abuse including threats of such acts, battery, assault, coercion, harassment or arbitrary deprivation of liberty. It includes, but is not limited to, the following acts:
a. Physical Violence - refers to acts that include bodily or physical harm;
b. Sexual Violence - refers to an act which is sexual in nature, committed against a woman or her child. It includes, but is not limited to:
i. Rape, sexual harassment, acts of lasciviousness, treating a woman or her child as a sex object, making demeaning and sexually suggestive remarks, physically attacking the sexual parts of the victim's body, forcing her/him to watch obscene publications and indecent shows or forcing the woman or her child to do indecent acts and/or make films thereof, forcing
