DIPOLOG CITY, Aug. 25 (PIA) – In their efforts to advocate and promote gender equality, the Commission on Women partnered with the provincial government unit of Zamboanga del Norte and conducted a 3-day orientation and workshop on the Safe Spaces Act and the Prohibition on Child Marriage Law.
The said workshop covered basic gender and development (GAD) concepts such as Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC), as well as gender bias and gender-based violence (GBV).
Atty. Khristine Kay Lazarito-Calingin of the PCW – Northern Mindanao Field Office went into detail about the emotional, psychological, and social effects of sexual harassment even with the absence of physical advancement.
She also highlighted the crucial role awareness plays is addressing violence against women (VAW) and sexual harassment while encouraging schools to incorporate VAW concepts in their lessons.
Atty. Lazarito-Calingin also shared that in Cagayan de Oro, some high schools were already incorporating these concepts into their curriculum.
For example, in some schools, they use the number of VAW cases for their statistics class, while in elementary schools, they are slowly eradicating gendered stereotypes in their learning materials.
She also revealed that because of these adjustments and information campaigns in the area, students have become more vigilant and were more willing to report cases of suspected harassment.
The workshop contained activities wherein participants needed to identify violations as well as the necessary steps in addressing them as well as action planning among the LGUs and government agencies present.
Said workshop was attended by both Dipolog and Dapitan City’s LGUs along with the local government of Sindangan and Jose Dalman. The Provincial Department of the Interior Government (DILG) was also present as well as DILG-Dipolog and DILG-Dapitan. The Department of Education also graced the event as well as the Philippine National Police. (NBE/PJF/PIA9-Zamboanga del Norte)
