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By Patricia Estevez, Reporter
FOR men out there who still think they can treat
women as doormats, think again.
A new law allows women to sue their boyfriends
or live-in partners for physical, emotional and verbal abuse even if
they are only on a dating relationship and not yet married. Penalty
includes imprisonment and a fine of not less than a hundred thousand
pesos.
Republic Act 9262, or the Antiviolence Against
Women and their Children law of 2004, coauthored by Rep. Bellaflor
Angara Castillo, penalizes all acts of violence against
women—whether they are married, in a live-in setup or in a
relationship.
“The law does not specify violence only for
married women, it is general and thus applicable to all women who
experience psychological, physical, sexual and economic abuse,”
said the lawyer Catherine Alvarez of the Women’s Unit of Sentro ng
Alternatibong Lingap Panligal at a press conference Wednesday that
discussed violence against women, family and feminism.
Kalayaan Constantino, executive director of
Kababaihan Laban sa Karahasan, said one out of nine women aged 18
and above in a population of 2.1 million women, suffer from physical
harm from their husbands, boyfriends and live-in partners, based on
the Social Weather Stations survey done in November 2003.
“The PNP survey in 2002 said one rape occurs
every two and a half hours, or an average of nine women are raped in
a day,” Constantino said.
She urged women who suffer from repeated
emotional and verbal abuse from their boyfriends to make use of the
law and file a criminal case against them.
“For the first time, kapag binubugbog ka o
iniinsulto ka at hindi pa kayo kasal, nasa dating relationship pa
lang kayo, p’wede ka ng magdemanda.
P’wede mong gamitin ang R.A. 9262,”
Constantino stressed.
She also added that even boyfriends who forbid
their girlfriends to work could be sued because it impedes on the
right of a woman to engage in “any legitimate profession.”
Constantino said this falls under the economic
abuse wherein men prevent the victim from engaging in any legitimate
profession, occupation or any activity.
The penalty for “causing mental or emotional
anguish,” for repeated verbal abuse is imprisonment from six years
and one day to 12 years.
“On the other hand, the penalty for physical
injuries which resulted in the woman’s hospitalization of not less
than 10 days, is imprisonment of one month and one day to six
months,” Alvarez said.
She explained that a woman can also file for a
complaint when she is being threatened and the penalty is
imprisonment not lower than one month.
Stalkers can also get jailed for 6 years to 12
years.
R.A. 9262 was passed by Congress in February
this year and signed into law by President Arroyo on March 8, 2004.
The law took effect on March 27, 2004.
Constantino said they will also come out with
the implementing rules of R.A. 9262 and present this to experts from
agencies like the Departments of Justice, Social Welfare and
Development, Interior and Local Government, Health and the
Philippine National Police.
A salient feature of the law focuses on the
protection orders against the abuser.
Under the new law, the barangay will no longer
try to mediate between the abusive husband and the battered wife,
but ensure protection for the abused woman.
“The old barangay judicial system is framed on
mediation, inaayos na du’n pa lang. This law is totally opposite,
barangay judicial will no longer try to mediate and will give the
abused women and children a protection against the abusive
husband,” Constantino explained.
She added: “A lot of the law’s implementing
rules will talk about the procedural aspect of the barangay’s
responsibilities to the victims, especially in informing them of the
protection orders against abusers.”
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