A Guide to Campaign Messaging for the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence

November 21, 2023

The Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights joins advocates worldwide during the 6 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. We also join our partners in the Philippines in mobilizing in commemorating the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW).

The 16 Days of Activism this year bears the call to action theme: ‘UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls.’ This theme underscores that violence against women and girls (VAWG) disrupts peace and stability within families and communities. Moreover, it triggers multi-dimensional costs to societies, including healthcare, education, social protection, justice, and productivity, essentially preventing economies from achieving their full potential. In line with this, we amplify the necessity of robust responses. These responses include the allocation of resources to ensure the full implementation of laws on GBV and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), strengthening victim-survivor support and protection services, ensuring that women and girls in all their diversity have access to justice including legal aid, and building safe spaces in schools and integrating gender equality content in comprehensive sexuality education (CSE).

Leading up to the 16 Days of Activism and 18-Day Campaign, we had an incredible year as we strive to end GBV and work toward the realization of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all (SRHR4ALL). 

After consideration of the collective reports and calls of organizations across many sectors, several human rights bodies such as the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Human Rights Committee, and the Universal Periodic Review have also urged the Philippine government to ensure implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Act, including the comprehensive SRH education; increase access to modern contraception for adolescents; decriminalize abortion; and, strengthen provision of SRHR, including post-abortion health care.

Another win was at the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in its review of the Philippines in October 2023. They forwarded the following recommendations to prevent GBV and advance gender equality in the Philippines:

  • Allocation of financial resources through the barangay, to ensure the full implementation of the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act;
  • Adopt a comprehensive legislation to ensure that all forms of gender-based violence against women are specifically criminalized and take into account the special protection needs of disadvantaged and marginalized groups of women
  • Intensify awareness-raising for the general public on the criminal nature of all forms of gender-based violence, including domestic and sexual violence, and on the need to enable women to report such cases without fear of reprisals, stigmatization, or re-victimization;
  • Ensure that women and girls who are survivors of gender-based violence have access to affordable and, if necessary, free legal aid; build the capacity of state officers regarding gender-sensitive investigation and interrogation methods 
  • Strengthen victim support services and protection, including adequate and accessible shelters, medical treatment, psychosocial counselling and economic support

Moreover, we have witnessed the following milestones in legislation this year: The Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill (APP Bill) successfully passed its third and final reading at the House of Representatives in September 2023. This bill institutionalizes a comprehensive program for adolescent pregnancy prevention through access to information and services on reproductive health, strengthening comprehensive sexuality education, and providing social protection for adolescent parents. Furthermore, the Decriminalization of Abortion Bill is now being drafted and we’re working with CSO partners and legislative champions, particularly Gabriela Women’s Partylist in getting it filed soon. Notably, there have also been substantial improvements in other priority legislative agendas, such as the SOGIE Equality and Divorce Bills.

Despite these achievements, we must draw attention to the impending budget cuts that loom over vital sectors focusing on women, health, children, and youth. In 2024, there will be a zero (0) budget allocation for reproductive health and family planning, as well as for social protection programs aimed at adolescent mothers and their children. It is important to emphasize that these figures do not represent mere budget allocations; they symbolize immeasurable human and social costs.

Consider the alarming figures:

  • With a lack of a comprehensive legislation criminalizing all forms of GBV, there are alarming high rates of domestic violence that go unaddressed with underreporting, low prosecution and conviction rates, and lenient sentencing against perpetrators. [1]
  • 18% of women aged 15-49 have experienced any form of physical, sexual, or emotional violence by their current or most recent husband/intimate partner, as reported on the 2022 Philippine National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS)
  • 4 of 10 young women who had gotten pregnant have experienced maternal health challenges including long distances to the nearest health facility, lack of transportation, high costs of healthcare, and human resource-related challenges. [2]
  • Earlier in 2023, we were alarmed to learn that 86 young Filipinos were diagnosed with HIV. [3]
  • Disturbingly, more and more minors as young as 10 who have given birth are experiencing repeated pregnancies, often sired by older fathers. More troubling is the fact that many early pregnancies stem from sexual violence and coercion. [4]
  • Devastatingly among a population of women aged 15-49, the youngest cohort (15-19) have the most experiences of violence during their pregnancies. [5]
  • Karapatan Alliance Philippines tallied over 1.5 million cases of threats, harassment, and intimidation of activists and human rights defenders between July 2022 and June 2023 alone. [6]

Given the alarming state of SRHR, adolescent SRH, and violence against women and girls, budget cuts and austerity measures will further have direct, detrimental impacts on the lives of women and girls with experiences of violence. They are left devoid of access to the institutions and programs that support and protect them and empower them in claiming their rights. This is nothing short of institutional violence. 

In our unwavering pursuit of SRHR4ALL and the eradication of GBV, we cannot underestimate the critical role played by well-funded and robust SRHR institutions and programs. This necessitates a substantial budget allocation for the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Law. Additionally, we urgently call for the repeal of budget cuts and the redirection of resources into programs focused on health, gender equality, and young people. Furthermore, it is imperative that these institutions operate free from discriminatory practices and obstacles, ensuring every woman and girl, particularly those from marginalized contexts, can access services and justice.

The strengthening of SRHR and GBV institutions is not solely a matter of health; it is a commitment to building a society where the rights, health, and safety of every individual are protected and respected, ultimately realizing a VAW-free Philippines.

Furthermore, we firmly stand by the UN Women’s finding that “Supporting and investing in women’s rights organizations is key to ending violence against women and girls.” Evidence points to the presence of a strong and autonomous feminist movement as a critical factor in driving policy change, both domestically and globally. [7] Despite so, civil society organizations and dedicated advocates, lawyers, doctors, educators, and community organizers are subjected to grave human rights violations and threats to their safety and work. As we mobilize throughout the 18 days, we call to stop the attacks on activists and human rights defenders, and call for the empowerment and support of women’s rights and youth-led organizations as they work to prevent GBV and advance SRHR4ALL.

Towards justice, gender equality, and realization of #SRHR4All, this year, #SRHRActivistsinAction take action, mobilize, and amplify our demands. Among our calls are:

  • Allocate adequate budget in the General Appropriations Act for the implementation of SRH services including CSE as mandated under the RPRH Law
  • Implement GBV prenvention programs and information dissemination strategies that integrate pleasure, consent, and principles on human rights.
  • Implement CSE at all levels of eduaction, ensuring that it is inclusive of content on gender equality, consent, human rights, and peace.
  • Ensure educational environments that are free from GBV against women and girls, including safe transportation to and from schoos. Investigate, prosecute and enact adequate punishments for all cases of harassment and GBV in educational insitutions.
  • Rechannel the funds into health and youth sectors including sexual and reproductive health programs and social protection services for young people and adolescent parents.
  • Ensure access to survivor-centered and trauma-informed services that are empowering and responsive to the immediate and long-term needs of survivors.
  • Justice and an end to impunity for violence against women and girls.
  • Strengthen protective mechanisms and community-based reporting and response systems  
  • Enact rights-based policies that are responsive to to women, girls and gender-diverse people’s experiences of sexual and reproductive health. We call for the passage of a women-centered and rights-based post-abortion care policy, review of the Anti-Rape law, urgent passage of the APP, and implementation of the PCM law.
  • Empower and support WROs and YLOs through adequate funding and resource mobilization. Uphold their right of equal protection against harassment and violence.
  • Investigate and prosecute all acts of harassment, GBV, and intimidation and reprisals against women human rights defenders and ensure their constitutional right to equal protection of the law and due process. Provide remedies and reparations to victims of illegal detention and harassment.
  • Stop the attacks against activists and human rights defenders! Ensure that they can continue their work safely and free from fear, intimidation, and violations against their human rights.

[1]  Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women [CEDAW] (2023 October 30) Concluding observations on the ninth periodic report of the Philippines
[2] UP Population Institute UPPI 2021 Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study. Quezon City, Philippines.
[3] Department of Health DOH HIV/AIDS and ART Registry of the Philippines: November 2022. Manila City, Philippines.
[4] Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, Philippine Statistics Authority (2020)
[5]  NDHS, PSA & ICF (2017)
[6] Karapatan Alliance Philippines. (2023, June). Successor of His Father’s Reign of Terror and Copy-Cat of Duterte’s Malicious Brutality. Karapatan Monitor April – June 2023.
[7] Karim, N. (2022), Feminist and Women’s Movements in the Context of Ending Violence against Women and Girls: An External Literature Review (New York, United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women).