On the picture, H.E. Jaime Victor Ledda, Ambassador of the Philippines.
By Elena Ratnikova.
On December 1st a panel of discussion relating to “Violence against women” took place in The Hague. The meeting was organized by the Embassy of the Philippines, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Manila. The main topic of the event was: “VAW-free community starts with me”.
The Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands, H.E. Mr. Jaime Victor B. Ledda greeted the audience, and expressed his personal attitude to the problem of discrimination. He shared the knowledge of international experience helping women to fight for their rights. The Ambassador mentioned also the problem of cyber-bullying.
Under the laws of the Philippines, five percent of the budget should be used for projects against violence.
The panel discussion had three guest speakers:
- Rea Abada-Chongson – Senior Legal Advisor on Gender, Specialist on Gender and Law. She explained the problems of sexual violence, women’s equality, and gave a brief presentation with the facts about discrimination and crimes against women. The speaker noted that during the process of research, it is necessary to provide the safety and security of people victims of violence or discrimination.
- Maria Patricia Cervantes-Poco – Lecturer, Ateneo School of Law. She presented the most important legal documents that regulate the rights of women in the Philippines.
- Marisa Monteiro Borsboom – Lawyer and Member, European Lawyers Bar. She spoke about her own experience of growing up in a religious community in Portugal, where the rights of women and girls were not always respected. “It’s not always possible for a woman to understand clearly the feelings of another woman, it is necessary to have empathy first”, – said Marisa.
The speaker gave advices on what we should do in our daily life. A woman often does not wish to protect herself and to declare her rights. Both the victim and the aggressor should receive psychological support. “If a woman lives in another country then they do not always have friends or the support from their relatives or expat community speaking the same language”, says Mrs Monteiro.
Non-European citizens need even more support. It is necessary to organize educational programs and answer the question: What do you expect from another country? Some organizations can be of great help. The non-profit organization AriseNL was designed for English-Dutch speaking female expats in the Netherlands.
The discussion was moderated by Neil B. Nucup, Founding President of the UP Diliman Chapter of MOVE, Men Opposed to Violence against Women Everywhere.
A question-and-answers took place for the audience finalizing with a lunch provided by the Embassy of the Philippines.
