Wazzup Pilipinas!
“We need to speak up”. [L-R: Senator Risa Hontiveros, Anne Nicole de Castro and Dr. Sylvia Claudio. De Castro faced sexual harassment online after protesting the Marcos burial last week.] Photo by Joseph Vidal, Senate PRIB
Coinciding with the observance of the International Week for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Children (VAWC), Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday filed three (3) legislative bills to fight sexual harassment and violence against women. The senator was joined by women rights advocate, Dr. Sylvia Claudio and several student women leaders.
Hontiveros’ three bills are the Anti-Rape Act (Senate Bill No. 1252), the Anti Sexual Harassment Bill (Senate Bill No. 1250), and the Gender-Based Electronic Violence (Senate Bill No. 1251). Dubbed as the ‘Tres Marias" bills, the said measures seek to strengthen the existing Anti-Rape Law, and criminalize gender-based electronic violence and peer-to-peer sexual harassment.
Hontiveros expressed alarm over the growing number of sexual harassment cases against women both offline and online. She cited the examples of Vice President Leni Robredo who was recently the subject of a nasty pregnancy rumor and students like Anne Nicole De Castro, who were sexually harassed online after participating in a protest action against the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos’ burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
“There is an urgent need to institute protective measures and strategic policies to combat the prevalence of the rape culture in our society which leads to physical sexual assault and other forms of violence against our women and children,” Hontiveros explained.
Coinciding with the observance of the International Week for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Children (VAWC), Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday filed three (3) legislative bills to fight sexual harassment and violence against women. The senator was joined by women rights advocate, Dr. Sylvia Claudio and several student women leaders.
Hontiveros’ three bills are the Anti-Rape Act (Senate Bill No. 1252), the Anti Sexual Harassment Bill (Senate Bill No. 1250), and the Gender-Based Electronic Violence (Senate Bill No. 1251). Dubbed as the ‘Tres Marias" bills, the said measures seek to strengthen the existing Anti-Rape Law, and criminalize gender-based electronic violence and peer-to-peer sexual harassment.
Hontiveros expressed alarm over the growing number of sexual harassment cases against women both offline and online. She cited the examples of Vice President Leni Robredo who was recently the subject of a nasty pregnancy rumor and students like Anne Nicole De Castro, who were sexually harassed online after participating in a protest action against the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos’ burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
“There is an urgent need to institute protective measures and strategic policies to combat the prevalence of the rape culture in our society which leads to physical sexual assault and other forms of violence against our women and children,” Hontiveros explained.