About the Council

The Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against Women and their Children (IACVAWC) was created under Section 39 of Republic Act 9262, otherwise known as the “Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004.”1

Mandate:

To be the lead coordinator and monitoring body on Violence Against Women and their Children (VAWC) initiatives and to ensure the effective implementation of the law.

The IACVAWC is composed of 12 government agencies and a Secretariat. The member- agencies are tasked to formulate programs and projects to eliminate VAWC based on their mandates, as well as develop capacity-building programs for their employees to become more gender-sensitive to the needs of their clients.

Members of the IACVAWC include heads of the following government agencies:

  1. Commission on Human Rights (CHR)
  2. Civil Service Commission (CSC)
  3. Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC)
  4. Department of Education (DepEd)
  5. Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)
  6. Department of Health (DOH)
  7. Department of Justice (DOJ)
  8. Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
  9. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
  10. National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)
  11. Philippine Commission on Women (PCW)
  12. Philippine National Police (PNP)


DSWD is designated as the Chair, with DILG as its Co-chair. PCW serves as the Council Secretariat, whose functions include coordination and monitoring the implementation of the policies and guidelines promulgated by the Council, provision of technical assistance, secretariat work, and records-keeping assistance in establishing, maintaining, and managing a central database on VAWC.

The Council Secretariat is also responsible for coordinating the formulation and monitoring of the lACVAWC Strategic Plan and Advocacy and Communications Plan (ADVOCOM), as well as convening regular council meetings, related workshops and technical meetings, and other IACVAWC activities at the national and local levels.

Functions of the Council

The IACVAWC adheres to its mandated functions under Rule IX, Section 54 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA 9262, which include:

  1. Promotion of the Anti-VAWC Act
  2. Capacity building of stakeholders 
  3. Development of comprehensive programs for victim-survivors 
  4. Networking with other stakeholders; and 
  5. Monitoring of the Implementation of the Act
  6. Research integrated approaches to eliminate VAWC (i.e., its nature and root causes, battered woman syndrome, violence within lesbian relationships, violence against marginalized women, rehabilitation of perpetrators, and documentation of good practices)

Council Chair and Co-Chair

The IACVAWC Chairperson performs the following roles, responsibilities, and functions:

  • Lead the coordination and monitoring of anti-VAWC efforts and initiatives of the Council, including monitoring and reporting of the implementation of RA 9262 for submission to the Office of the President as provided for in Section 55 of the RA 9262 IRR;
  • Direct the formulation of policies, resolutions, and memorandum circulars of the IACVAWC, including the National Strategic Plan and the Advocacy and Communication Plan of the IACVAWC;
  • Preside over IACVAWC meetings and ensure the representation and participation of member agencies in IACVAWC activities/events;
  • Endorse for final resolution the complaints on service providers received from individuals and institutions through the IACVAWC Secretariat.
  • Sign pertinent documents on behalf of the Council, e.g., a memorandum responding to a complaint, monitoring tools, and reports such as the Annual Report on the implementation of the RA 9262;
  • Assign a technical officer to assist the IACVAWC Secretariat in technical coordination and review of IACVAWC documents;
  • Act as the official spokesperson of the IACVAWC as provided for in IACVAWC Resolution No. 1 series of 2008, “Designating the Official Spokesperson of IACVAWC”;
  • Explore partnerships, sponsorships and sourcing of grants, donations, and other forms of assistance from public and private entities as agreed upon in the Council; and
  • Perform other roles, responsibilities, and functions as may be assigned or agreed upon by the Council.

IACVAWC Secretariat

In the same IRR, the IACVAWC Secretariat is tasked to perform the following functions:

  • Coordinate and monitor, under the direction of the Council, the implementation of the policies and guidelines promulgated by the Council; 
  • Assist in establishing, maintaining, and managing a central database on VAWC, whenever feasible;
  • Provide technical, secretariat and records keeping and other services to the Council; and
  • Perform such other functions as may be directed by the Council.

 

In line with the implementation of the current IACVAWC National Strategic Plan, the Council Secretariat is expected to perform the following roles, responsibilities, and functions: 

  • Prepare/draft resolutions, memoranda and circulars for review and approval of the Council; 
  • Coordinate the preparation of the National Strategic Plan and/or succeeding strategic plans of the IACVAWC;  
  • Coordinate the preparation of the three-year integrated advocacy and communications (ADVOCOM) Plan on VAWC; 
  • Assist in the conduct of capacity-building or awareness-raising programs on VAW and GST; 
  • Prepare meeting kits for Council Meetings; 
  • Assist in the development and conduct of the Council’s research agenda; 
  • Assist in the development and packaging of knowledge products on VAW;
  • Ensure that the IACVAWC website and social media accounts of the Council (e.g., Twitter and Facebook) are updated and maintained in coordination with the member agencies; 
  • Assist in monitoring anti-VAWC efforts;
  • Gather updates and status reports on the implementation of the National Strategic Plan, including updated VAW statistics from member agencies and other stakeholders to aid in monitoring and evaluation of RA 9262; 
  • Develop monitoring tools and report formats to aid the reporting of IACVAWC accomplishments and results of anti-VAW efforts at the national and local levels; 
  • Draft the Annual Report on the implementation of RA 9262 for review and approval of the Council; 
  • Refer complaints received from individuals and institutions to the Council for action.

Working Committees

IACVAWC member-agencies are organized into Working Committees to aid the effective and efficient implementation of Council activities and other anti-VAWC efforts. Committee Chairpersons and Co-Chairpersons are assigned to facilitate their meetings. 

General Functions

  • Draw up a Committee work plan to support the implementation of the National Strategic Action Plan; 
  • Set regular meetings in preparation for Council meetings; 
  • Implement a system for communication and coordination with other member-agencies
  • Implement and monitor Committee work plans; and 
  • Perform other roles and functions as may be assigned by the Council.

Committee on Primary Prevention

Tasked to develop, implement, and update the Council’s integrated advocacy and communications (ADVOCOM) Plan in partnership with media organizations, schools, universities, men and boys organizations, labor unions, faith-based organizations, and other relevant stakeholders. It ensures awareness-raising activities on VAW in partnership with individuals and organizations who are experts on GAD. It also leads the development of VAW-related knowledge products in coordination with the IACVAWC Secretariat.

Members

  • Department of Education (DepEd)
  • Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG); 
  • Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); and
  • Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC)
  • Philippine Commission on Women (PCW)
  • Civil Service Commission (CSC)

Committee on Response System

Reviews and assesses existing VAW service providers using the VAW Performance Standards Tool Kit. This includes gathering client feedback on providing legal, medical, social welfare, prosecution and other services, and evaluating the mechanisms’ functionality. The Committee also monitors the progress of the Council’s research agenda as specified in the National Strategic Action Plan. Moreover, it assists the Council in designing gender-sensitive training programs to improve the investigative capability of law enforcement agents and legal service providers in handling VAWC cases.

Members:

  • Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD);
  • Philippine National Police (PNP); 
  • National Bureau of Investigation (NBI);
  • Department of Health (DOH);
  • Department of Justice (DOJ); and
  • Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)

Committee on Cross-cutting Structures and Actions

Reviews and recommends measures to enhance existing VAW Referral Systems. This includes monitoring the implementation of the National VAW Documentation System and strategies for capacity development programs. The Committee oversees the participation of non-government organizations and other civil society groups in the IACVAWC and the establishment of sub-committees for specific concerns/priorities.

Members:

  • Civil Service Commission (CSC) 
  • Commission on Human Rights (CHR); and
  • Philippine Commission on Women (PCW)  
  • Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC)

NGO Participation

RA 9262 also provides for the participation of non-government organizations in the Council. Sections 54(d) and 60 of the law’s IRR directs IACVAWC to ensure the participation of NGOs, the academe, the private sector, and civic and religious groups in addressing VAWC.

The Ranao Women and Children Resource Center, Inc. (RWCRC, Inc.) served as the first NGO representative in the IACVAWC from 2019 to 2022. The RWCRC is a SEC-registered NGO based in Iligan City, Lanao Del Norte that primarily provides capital and livelihood assistance to women groups.

 

1  RA 9262 (Anti-VAWC Act) was enacted pursuant  to  the State Policy that values the dignity of women and children and guarantees full respect for human rights.