RA 9262 - VAWC Law

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Gender-based violence violates several women rights such as the right to life, the right to equal protection under the law, freedom from torture, degrading and cruel treatment, the right to equality in the family and also the right to the highest standard attainable of physical and mental health.

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“Violence against women and their children”(VAWC) is any act or a series of acts committed against the victim which result in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological harm or suffering, or economic abuse including threats of such acts, battery, assault, coercion, harassment, arbitrary deprivation of liberty.

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Any citizen who has personal knowledge of the crime can file a criminal complaint.

​a.   husband;

b.   former husband;

c.   boyfriend;

d.   Ex-boyfriend;

e.   live-in partner or ex-partner

f.    one with whom the woman has a common child;

g.   one with whom the woman has/had sexual or dating relationship

​ The most detectable form of VAW is physical violence. It involves causing physical or bodily harm against another person.

​ Psychological force or violence involves causing harm to a victim through the use of emotional manipulation, resulting in mental suffering.  Some forms of psychological violence include constant putting-down of a woman, diminishing her value because of her socially-constructed role, or judging how she acts or what she does. An example is the public ridicule of woman because of her gender. Repeated verbal abuse is also a form of this violence. The core of psychological force or violence lies in the idea that women are weaker and should be looked down on or controlled.