The Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands, H.E. Mr. Jaime Victor B. Ledda.
05 December 2018 – The Philippine Embassy in The Hague (The Hague PE) successfully conducted on 01 December a forum in observance of PH 18-day campaign to end violence against women, aptly titled, Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW): The International and National Responses.
In his welcome remarks, H.E. Ambassador Jaime Victor B. Ledda informed the participants that the forum is a continuing advocacy on women’s rights and gender equality of the Embassy, in close partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Gender and Development (GAD) program, and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) at the national level.
Ambassador Ledda expressed with pride that the Philippines ranks among top 10 in the world’s most gender equal country based on the 2017 Global Gender Gap Report. Ambassador Ledda acknowledges that while challenges in EVAW remain, the Philippine government remains steadfast and continues to vigorously pursue all means and mechanisms at both national and international levels to “GEWE”, gender equality and women equality.
A panel of legal professionals led by Attorney Rea Abada-Chiongson Senior Legal Advisor on Gender of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) in The Hague, gave an overview of the global frameworks on violence against women (VAW), briefly conveying on facts and figures on VAW committed worldwide, eg., 1 in 3 women have experienced physical or sexual violence by or 1 in 2 women killed were killed mostly by an intimate partner.
Ateneo de Manila’s School of Law faculty, Attorney Patricia Cervantes-Poco, currently a PhD student in Maastricht’s Law Faculty on the other hand presented the country’s responses to international standards on VAW which included Magna Carta on Women (RA 9710), New Anti-Rape Law (RA 8353), Violence Against Women and Children (RA 9262) and the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012 (RA 10364).
The Hague-based legal NGO, AriseNL was also invited by the Embassy and its representatives, Portuguese-lawyer who has been handling cases on domestic violence among women in the Netherlands, Attorney Marisa Monteiro-Borsbom and Ms. Sogano Mohandes discussed Dutch laws and services, ie paths to pursue when the system fails or delays for victims of domestic violence.
A “Q&A”, moderated by Attorney Neil Nucup, formerly of PH Supreme Court who is also pursuing further legal studies at Leiden University brought out gender-related concerns among members of the Filipino, Dutch and expatriate communities represented, e.g. a Filipino “transwoman” abused by his live-in Dutch partner, among others, that generated compassion among those in attendance.
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Photography is a courtesy of Elena Ratnikova.
