IACVAWC Resolution No. 1, s. 2019

ENJOINING ALL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAM ON MALE INVOLVEMENT IN ELIMINATING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND THEIR CHILDREN AND IN ACHIEVING GENDER EQUALITY AND THE EMPOWERMENT OF ALL WOMEN AND GIRLS

WHEREAS, violence against women pervades all sectors of Philippine society and it violates women’s human rights as stated under Republic Act (RA) No. 9710 or the “Magna Carta of Women” (MCW) which all government agencies are mandated to implement;

WHEREAS, the United Nations (UN), through its special bodies and mechanisms, adopted general recommendations and declarations on the elimination of violence against women;

WHEREAS, the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) adopted General Recommendation No. 19 which reaffirmed that Violence Against Women (VAW) constituted a form of discrimination against women and formed the basis for the elaboration of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women in 1993;

WHEREAS, the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (DEVAW), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life”;

WHEREAS, the Philippines, as a UN member state, is committed to support the seventeen (17) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), one of which is SDG 5 which aims to: “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” with target 5.2 which sets outs to “eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation”;

WHEREAS, it has been recognized globally that men and boys are critical contributors to the empowerment of women and girls and men can also be advocates and partners to achieve gender equality;

WHEREAS, the UN Committee on the Status of Women (UNCSW), as the principal global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women, adopted agreed conclusions on the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls on 15 March 2013;

WHEREAS, as part of the agreed conclusions during the UNCSW 57th session in 2013, the UNCSW urges governments, at all levels, to address structural and underlying causes and risk factors so as to prevent violence against women and girls, and to encourage men and boys to take an active part and become strategic partners and allies in the prevention and elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls;

WHEREAS, at the ASEAN level, one of the key strategies under prevention of the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on Elimination of Violence against Women (ASEAN RPA on EVAW) is to engage men and boys as collaborative partners and allies for preventing violence against women (VAW), including the development and implementation of programs that challenge male sexual entitlement and dominance over women, and the promotion of non-violence and positive masculinities (national and regional levels};

WHEREAS, to encourage the involvement of men in the efforts to stop VAW in the Philippines, Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) launched the “White Ribbon” and “Men Speak Out Against Violence” Campaign in December 2003 to push for the enactment of anti VAW laws, with gender sensitivity sessions led by prominent male personalities such as the Senate President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court;

WHEREAS, Republic Act No. 9262, also known as the Anti-Violence against Women and their Children (VAWC) Act of 2004, provided for the creation of an Inter­-Agency Council on Violence Against Women and their Children (IACVAWC) as the overall coordinating and monitoring body in ensuring the effective implementation of the law;

WHEREAS, the IAC-VAWC is primarily tasked to formulate programs and projects to eliminate VAW, mobilize support from government and nongovernment partners, monitor all VAW initiatives, and promulgate rules and regulations as may be necessary for effective implementation of the Act;

WHEREAS, the PCW as Secretariat of IACVAWC and as the oversight agency mandated to monitor the implementation of the Magna Carta of Women, recognized the need to involve men in addressing violence against women, gender-based violence, and in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls;

WHEREAS, PCW initiated the creation of Men Opposed to Violence against Women Everywhere (MOVE) in 2006, an organization of men who committed themselves to be involved in combating violence against women;

WHEREAS, MOVE has since organized 67 chapters in government agencies and local government units, has been implementing advocacy programs through its various chapters, and has formulated a strategic plan (2019-2022) to systematize its work in addressing VAW and strengthen its organizational processes;

WHEREAS, PCW and the IACVAWC strongly endorse the program on male involvement in addressing VAW and in promoting gender equality, and support the creation of MOVE chapters and/or strengthening of existing chapters, in particular, and other male organizations with the same objectives;

WHEREAS, programs and activities on male involvement in addressing VAW are covered by the provisions of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women, PCW-NEDA-DBM Joint Circular No. 2012-01, PCW­ Memorandum Circular No. 2018-05 and other related budgeting circulars as they clearly address violence against women as a gender issue;

NOW THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the foregoing premises, the IACVAWC hereby RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED to enjoin all government agencies and local government units (LG Us), inciuding State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs), Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) and other government instrumentalities beginning 2020 and onwards to:

1. Provide technical support to the program on male involvement in addressing VAW under R.A. No. 9262 and other related laws and as it occurs in all sectors of society, including the involvement of men in preventive and other services, as provided in the MOVE strategic plan 2019-2022;
2. Recognize MOVE as a partner in pursuit of eradicating VAW in the Philippines, and coordinate, harmonize, or synchronize the different programs of the Council with the MOVE strategic plan 2019-2022;
3. Allow the charging of activities on male involvement to the Gender and Development budget insofar as these are in line with the objectives to end VAW;
4. Support established MOVE chapters or creation of MOVE Chapters or similar male organization espousing the same values and principles as MOVE, in national government agencies, LGUs, and other government instrumentalities, including SUCs, LUCs, and GOCCs;
5. Issue policies/guidelines or directives to support the programs, projects and activities on male involvement in addressing VAW and promoting gender equality, and the creation of MOVE and other male involvement organizations, i.e., including this in the local gender and development codes, executive orders, office orders, memorandum circulars, resolutions, etc.;
6. Include the MOVE representation and/or similar male organization in the GAD Focal Point System (GFPS) and allow their participation in GAD planning and budgeting processes and in implementing the agency’s GAD Agenda;
7. Allow the activities of MOVE members and other male organizationstin the agency, if any, in addressing VAW and gender equality to be done on official business, and include these among the agency/LGU commitments to GAD and to the employees’ deliverables and performance commitments;
8. Devise program(s) on male involvement in addressing VAW under R.A. No. 9262 and other related laws and as it occurs in all sectors of society, including the involvement of men in preventive and other services;
9. It is also further resolved that government agencies with oversight functions over private sector entities, i.e., DOH for private health facilities, DepEd for private schools, DOLE for private sector companies, CHED for Higher Education Institutions (HEls), Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) for all cooperatives are hereby enjoined to support the program on male involvement in addressing VAW and gender equality and encourage the creation of MOVE chapters or other male involvement organizations in their respective jurisdictions.

ADOPTED, this _ of ___ , 2020, in Manila, Philippines.

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