NEGROS OCCIDENTAL (PIA) -- Women should empower themselves and be brave to report abuses committed against them.
This was the reminder of Police Capt. Wilma Silva of the Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office (NOCPPO) during her guesting over PIA radio program here.
She noted that the policemen are willing to help and assist the complainants for their protection and the information they report will be treated with utmost confidentiality.
She said women who need help may report the matter to the Women and Children’s Protection Desk in police precincts or at Barangay Violence Against Women (BVAW) desk.
BVAW, she said, could issue a 15-day Barangay Protection Order to protect women who are victims of violence.
In 2022, the NOCPPO recorded a total of 58 cases of different forms of violence against women under Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violance Again Women and their Children Act.
Of the figure, 57 cases were filed in court and are therefore considered cleared, she said.
She added that there were 36 rape cases and 18 cases of acts of lasciviousness recorded that were all filed in court.
According to Silva, they had seen a reduction in violent cases committed against women compared to the previous years. They noted that way back in 2016, violence against women cases could reach 100 in just a month.
She said this can be partly attributed to the education campaign that NOCPPO had been conducting through the years, especially in far-flung areas of the province.
Silva appealed to abusive partners to be sensitive and put themselves in the place of the person they hurt. (AAL/Lljr/PIA6 Negros Occidental)
