2024 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW):
“UNiTEd for a VAW-free Philippines”

The Philippines has been participating in the global fight for gender equality since the1960s. In 2002, the country joined the global 16-day action against gender-based violence (GBV) to push for laws and the establishment of institutional mechanisms to address VAW. The 16-day campaign annually starts on November 25 marking the International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women and ends on December 10 which is known as the International Human Rights Day.

Since its participation in the global campaign, one of the country’s many landmark victories for women leaders and advocates is the passage of Republic Act 9262, or the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children (Anti-VAWC) Act in 2004. Two years later, the Philippines issued Presidential Proclamation 1172 extending its observation of the campaign to 18 days to include December 12 of every year as commemoration of the signing the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women, and Children, to supplement the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crimes.

This year’s observance aims to highlight the achievements from the twenty-year implementation of the Anti-VAWC Act and raise public awareness on its forms and impact. Activities geared towards strengthening prevention efforts have been lined up to enjoin the participation of more stakeholders as well as the general public.

To jumpstart the 2024 campaign, the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) with support from the Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against Women and Their Children (IACVAWC) held a kick-off event on November 25, 2024 at the Park Inn by Radisson North EDSA, Quezon City.

The event featured a report on the national situation on violence against women in the country twenty years after the passage of the Anti-VAWC Act. The National Action Plan to End Violence Against Women (NAP EVAW) 2025-2030 was also launched during the activity.

Presentations from government agencies also highlighted the role of Barangay VAW Desks, and the eReport feature under the DICT’s eGovPH super-app, an online platform for timely reporting of VAW cases.

Other segments include sharing of experiences from victim-survivors and panelists from service agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Public Attorney’s Office, the Philippine National Police, and Saklolo at Gabay ng Ina at Pamilya (SAGIP) Muntinlupa which is also one of PCW’s accredited Local Learning Hubs in Metro Manila.

The “Orange Exhibit: Journey towards a VAW-free Philippines” was also displayed during the event to feature the country’s participation in the 18-Day Campaign for over 22 years. Online participation is strongly encouraged through the use of campaign-related hashtags such as #VAWfreePH, #VowtoEndVAW, #FilipinoMarespeto, and #SafeSpacesKasaliTayo to signify stakeholder support and help boost the campaign’s reach on social media platforms.

PCW will also be collaborating with the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) through the “Human, Hindi Laruan” Awareness Campaign to intensify national advocacy efforts in raising public awareness about human trafficking. December 12, 2024 marks the International Day Against Trafficking.
 
The Philippine Commission on Women issued Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2024-04 providing guidelines for the 2024 18-day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW). The circular also enumerates activities that can be conducted by government agencies, non-governmental organizations, sectoral groups, private entities, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders at the national, regional, and local levels. 
 
Download a copy here.
 

For more information:
PCW-IACVAWC Secretariat
iacvawc@pcw.gov.ph
(02) 89735-1654 loc. 123