Topic: Gender Issues Womens Rights

Human rights, as defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, are norms

that aim to protect people from political, legal, and social abuses. Such rights
refer to those activities, conditions, and freedoms that all human beings are
entitled to enjoy, by virtue of their humanity. These rights include civil, political,
economic, social and cultural rights that cannot be simply taken away since such
rights are inherent and inalienable. In order to have a universal definition of
human rights, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights to serve as the foundation in the protection of human rights. It states that
human right is inherent to all mankind, despite of their race, color, gender, and
any other forms of differences. This does not exclude the rights of the women,
most especially the rights of the mothers.

As Filipinos, our rights and privileges as citizens are ensured in the 1987
Constitution under Article III which is called the Bill of Rights. Aside from local
laws, the Philippines is a signatory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International
Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. This means that our country
is obliged to recognize and apply appropriate laws to ensure the fulfillment of the
rights included in the three legal documents aforementioned. However, although
international and national laws have clearly stated that all human are entitled to
all human rights without any distinctions, it cannot be denied that women are still
battling to fight and uphold their essence in the world.

According to the World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Report In 2014,

Philippines is among the most gender fair countries in the world since 2016. It
was reported that it got the highest rank among all Asian countries when it comes
to womens participation in economy, health, political empowerment and
education. The Philippines also ranked seventh in the top 10 most gender equal
countries along with Iceland, Norway and Finland to name a few. Although
Philippines seem to be a gender friendly country, the number of violence against
women(VAW) cases is increasing by fivefold.

As of 2015, it is still a reality that women are still deprived of their rights as
mothers regardless of the roles they play. According to the National
Demographic and Health Survey, 1 out of 5 women have experienced physical
violence since age 15. Moreover, 6% have experienced sexual abuse, 8% of
married women have experienced domestic violence within the first 2 years of
marriage and only 30% have sought assistance after being physically and
sexually abused. To make matter worse, according to the survey, the Philippine
National Police has reported that rape is ranked 3rd among all the VAW cases
from 2004 to 2012. Several actions were done to address the issue by
implementing laws and amending existing laws in the hope of decreasing the
cases of VAW.

Human rights are a gift to all. From the moment of our birth, we acquire these
natural rights simply because we are human beings. From the earliest efforts to
end slavery, genocide, discrimination, and government oppression, to the birth of
the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it has always
been a call to freedom and justice for people throughout the world. Indeed,
human rights apply to all because it is universal and it cannot be taken away.

Questions:
1. Why should we focus on the issue of womens rights in the Philippines?
2. What are the reasons as to why there is a high rate of violence against
women in the Philippines?
3. Is there a connection between the high rate of violence against women to
the Philippines being a developing country?
4. Should the government improve its national laws considering the
increasing of violence against women?
5. What can governments do to improve the security of women most
especially in countries with a fast growing population and a high rate of
violence against women?
6. How can we empower women?