During the VAWC online summit on December 10, Head of Integrated Gender and Development Division of the City Government of Davao (IGDD) Lorna Mandid said 724 cases were filed at the IGDD-Davao office from January to September 2021.
A total of 177 cases were also submitted to the Philippine National Police-Police Regional Office-Davao during the first half of 2021.
Based on the data, economic abuse is the most common complaint at 501 cases out of the reported 901. Economic abuse is a form of abuse wherein the perpetrator controls the victim’s access to economic resources.
Psychological or emotional abuse with 134 cases was the next highest, followed by physical abuse and sexual abuse with 108 and nine cases, respectively.
Meanwhile, physical abuse is the next highest case of VAWC reported to the PRO-Davao Office with 106 cases, followed by psychological or emotional abuse with 42 cases, and one sexual abuse case.
According to the IGDD-Davao head, VAWC cases reported to IGDD-Davao this year have decreased compared to the 1,193 cases in 2020. However, Mandid said there may be other cases that are not reported.
“We believe that domestic violence, gender-based violence is increasing because we are now in a condition where anxiety and uncertainty is very common,” she said.
Mandid added that IGDD-Davao will continue to cooperate with other government agencies to ensure that anti-VAWC services are widely accessible through other platforms other than going to government offices.
Republic Act (RA) 9262, along with RA 11313 or the Safe Spaces Act, is highlighted during the 18-day Campaign to End Violence Against Women from November 25 to December 12, 2021.
The campaign is a nationwide event between the Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against Women, government agencies, and local government units that call for stronger efforts to end gender-based violence in the country.
