RA 7877 is The Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of a stipend, allowance or other, benefits, 1995. It addresses the issue of sexual harassment privileges, or considerations; or committed in work and education or training 4. When the sexual advances result in an environment. intimidating, hostile or offensive environment It was signed into law on February 14, 1995 under for the student, trainee or apprentice. former President Fidel Ramos administration. 1. A person who directs or induces What is sexual harassment? another person to commit any act of Under the law, work, education or training related sexual harassment or who sexual harassment is committed by an employer, cooperates to commit the act, employee, manager, supervisor, agent of the without which the said act would employer, teacher, instructor, professor, coach, not have been committed, will also trainor, or any other person who, having authority, be held liable under the law. influence or moral ascendancy over another in a What is the duty of the employer or head of work or training or education environment, office in a work or education/training demands, requests or otherwise requires any environment? sexual favor from the other, regardless of whether The employer or head of office is required by the the demand, request or requirement for law to prevent the occurrence of sexual submission is accepted by the object of said Act. harassment acts. If in case acts of sexual harassment were committed, the employer or How is work-related sexual harassment head of office should: committed? 1. Disseminate appropriate rules and 1. The sexual favor is made as a condition in regulations which are consulted from and jointly the hiring or in the employment, re-employment approved by the employees or students or trainees, or continued employment of said individual, or in through their duly designated representatives. granting said Individual favorable compensation, The said rules prescribe the procedure for the terms, conditions, promotions, or privileges; or the investigation of sexual harassment cases and the refusal to grant the sexual favor results in limiting, administrative sanctions applied for such. segregating or classifying the employee which in any way would discriminate, deprive or diminish 1. Administrative sanctions shall not bar employment opportunities or otherwise adversely prosecution in the proper courts for unlawful affect said employee; acts of sexual harassment. 2. The above acts would impair the employees 2. The said rules and regulations should rights or privileges under existing labor laws; include guidelines on proper decorum in the or workplace and educational or training institutions. 3. The above acts would result in an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment for the 2. Create a committee on decorum and employee. investigation of cases on sexual harassment. What about education- or training-related The committee shall conduct meetings or as sexual harassment? the case may be, with officers and employees, This is committed: teachers, instructors, professors, coaches, trainers and students or trainees to increase 1. Against one who is under the care, custody understanding and prevent incidents of or supervision of the offender; sexual harassment. It shall also conduct the 2. Against one whose education, training, investigation of alleged cases constituting apprenticeship or tutorship is entrusted to the sexual harassment. offender; 0. In the case of a work-related environment, 3. When the sexual favor is made a condition to the committee shall be composed of at least the giving of a passing grade, or the granting one (1) representative each from the management, the union, if any, the employees from the supervisory rank, and from the rank and file employees. 1. In the case of the educational or training institution, the committee shall be composed of at least one (1) representative from the administration, the trainors, teachers, instructors, professors or coaches and students or trainees, as the case may be. The employer or head of office, educational or training institution shall disseminate or post a copy of RA 7877 to inform all concerned individuals. What if the employer or head of office did not undertake any action despite his/her knowledge of sexual harassment act/s? The employer or head of an office, educational or training institution will be held liable for the damages arising from acts of sexual harassment if they are informed by the offended party of the occurrence of such acts, yet no action has been undertaken. Can an offended party seek redress by taking independent action? An offended party may take independent action for damages incurred in the act of sexual harassment. She/He may also avail of relief. What are the penalties applied to offenders? Any person who violates the provisions of the law shall be penalized by imprisonment of not less than one (1) month nor more than six (6) months, or a fine of not less than Ten thousand pesos (PI 0,000) nor more than Twenty thousand pesos (P20.000), or both such fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the court. Any action arising from the violation of the provisions of this Act shall prescribe in three (3) years. VAWC RA 9262 PSYCHOLOGICAL VIOLENCE - acts or omissions I. PURPOSE (Sec. 2) causing or likely to cause mental or emotional suffering of the victim such as but not limited to It is hereby declared that the State values the intimidation, harassment, stalking, damage to dignity of women and children and guarantees full property, public ridicule or humiliation, repeated respect for human rights verbal abuse and mental infidelity. It includes To protect the family and its members particularly causing or allowing the victim to witness the women and children, from violence and threats to physical, sexual or psychological abuse of a their personal safety and security member of the family to which the victim belongs, or to witness pornography in any form or to II. DEFINITION OF TERMS (Sec. 3) witness abusive injury to pets or to unlawful or VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND THEIR unwanted deprivation of the right to custody CHILDREN any act or a series of acts committed and/or visitation of common children by any person against a woman who is his wife, former wife, or against a woman with whom the ECONOMIC ABUSE - acts that make or attempt to person has or had a sexual or dating relationship, make a woman financially dependent which or with whom he has a common child, or against includes, but is not limited to the following: her child whether legitimate or illegitimate, within withdrawal of financial support or or without the family abode, which result in or is preventing the victim from engaging in any likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological legitimate profession, occupation, business harm or suffering, or economic abuse including or activity, except in cases wherein the threats of such acts, battery, assault, coercion, other spouse/partner objects on valid, harassment or arbitrary deprivation of liberty. It serious and moral grounds as defined in includes, but is not limited to, the following acts: Article 73 of the Family Code; PHYSICAL VIOLENCE acts that include bodily or deprivation or threat of deprivation of physical harm financial resources and the right to the use and enjoyment of the conjugal, community SEXUAL VIOLENCE an act which is sexual in or property owned in common; nature, committed against a woman or her child, destroying household property; including but not limited to: controlling the victims' own money or properties or solely controlling the rape, sexual harassment, acts of lasciviousness, conjugal money or properties. treating a woman or her child as a sex object, making demeaning and sexually suggestive remarks, physically attacking the sexual parts BATTERY - an act of inflicting physical harm upon of the victim's body, forcing her/him to watch the woman or her child resulting to the physical obscene publications and indecent shows or and psychological or emotional distress. forcing the woman or her child to do indecent acts and/or make films thereof, forcing the BATTERED WOMAN SYNDROME - scientifically wife and mistress/lover to live in the conjugal defined pattern of psychological and behavioral home or sleep together in the same room with symptoms found in women living in the abuser; battering relationships as a result of cumulative acts causing or attempting to cause the victim abuse. to engage in any sexual activity by force, threat of force, physical or other harm or threat of STALKING - an intentional act committed by a physical or other harm or coercion; person who, knowingly and without lawful justification follows the woman or her child or Prostituting the woman or child. places the woman or her child under surveillance directly or indirectly or a 2. Depriving or threatening to deprive the combination thereof. woman or her children of financial support legally due her or her family, or deliberately DATING RELATIONSHIP - a situation wherein the providing the woman's children parties live as husband and wife without the insufficient financial support; (3) Depriving benefit of marriage or are romantically involved or threatening to deprive the woman or her over time and on a continuing basis during the child of a legal right; course of the relationship. A casual acquaintance 3. Preventing the woman in engaging in any or ordinary socialization between two individuals legitimate profession, occupation, business in a business or social context is not adating or activity or controlling the victim's own relationship. mon4ey or properties, or solely controlling the conjugal or common money, or SEXUAL RELATIONS - a single sexual act which properties; may or may not result in the bearing of a common 4. Inflicting or threatening to inflict physical child harm on oneself for the purpose of controlling her actions or decisions; III. ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND 5. Causing or attempting to cause the woman THEIR CHILDREN (Sec. 5) or her child to engage in any sexual activity which does not constitute rape, by force or The crime of violence against women and their threat of force, physical harm, or through children is committed through any of the following intimidation directed against the woman or acts: her child or her/his immediate family; Engaging in purposeful, knowing, or reckless Causing physical harm to the woman or her conduct, personally or through another, which child; alarms or causes substantial emotional or Threatening to cause the woman or her child psychological distress to the woman or her child. physical harm; This shall include, but not be limited to, the Attempting to cause the woman or her child following acts: physical harm; 1. Stalking or following the woman or her Placing the woman or her child in fear of child in public or private places; imminent physical harm; 2. Peering in the window or lingering outside Attempting to compel or compelling the woman the residence of the woman or her child; or her child to engage in conduct which the 3. Entering or remaining in the dwelling or woman or her child has the right to desist from on the property of the woman or her child or desist from conduct which the woman or her against her/his will; child has the right to engage in, or attempting to 4. Destroying the property and personal restrict or restricting the woman's or her child's belongings or inflicting harm to animals or freedom of movement or conduct by force or pets of the woman or her child; and threat of force, physical or other harm or threat 5. Engaging in any form of harassment or of physical or other harm, or intimidation violence; directed against the woman or child. This shall 6. Causing mental or emotional anguish, include, but not limited to, the following acts public ridicule or humiliation to the woman committed with the purpose or effect of or her child, including, but not limited to, controlling or restricting the woman's or her repeated verbal and emotional abuse, and child's movement or conduct: denial of financial support or custody of minor children of access to the woman's 1. Threatening to deprive or actually child/children. depriving the woman or her child of custody to her/his family;