The Police Regional Office-Cordillera reiterated its call for community support in eradicating Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC).
PRO-Cor Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD) Chief, Col. Marcy Grace Marron, said even as cases in the region are on the downtrend, the number remains high.
Marron reported in the recent Department of Health-led Kapihan that 444 VAWC cases were recorded in the first three quarter of this year. Of the total, 259 are minors or below 18 years old.
The 2023 figure is 15 percent lower compared to the 520 cases recorded during the same period in 2022, but is still considered high.
Benguet logged the most cases with 128, followed by Baguio City with 121, Kalinga with 64, Ifugao with 46, Abra with 43, Mountain Province with 28, and Apayao with 22.
Most of the cases are violation of Republic Act 9262 or the VAWC Law with 107, act of lasciviousness with 51, and violation of RA 8353 or the Anti-Rape Law with 16.
Marron said PRO-Cor is continuously implementing programs and intervention measures against VAWC such as information and education drives to the community level including social media, community engagements, outreach activities, establishments of police assistance desks, and ensuring the availability of a 24/7 hotline numbers, among others.
She stressed the importance of support from all sectors of society in bringing down or eliminating VAWC cases.
The DOH-Cordillera and PRO-Cor promoted during the forum the 18-day Campaign to End Violence Against Women and Children which is observed every Nov. 25 to Dec. 12.
With the theme, “United for a VAW-free Philippines,” the campaign calls for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to eliminate VAWC. – Carlito Dar with Raeneil Inocencio
