DAVAO DEL NORTE (PIA) – Equipping women and children with the knowledge about their rights may help them avoid violence and abuse.
During the Dec. 9 episode of Pakigsayod, President of Rotary Club Tagum Golden LACES (Ladies in Action Committed to Effective Service), Atty. Judy Rapista-Tan, said that prevention starts with information dissemination.
“Sa prevention, kinahanglan magsugod gyud ta sa information. Hatagan gyud ug knowledge para makabalo ang mga kababainhan ug ang kabataan kung unsa ilang mga katungod (In prevention, it’s necessary that we start with information. We have to give them knowledge so that the women and children know what their rights are),” Rapista-Tan said.
She explained that when a person knows her rights, she will feel empowered to defend herself from wrongdoings.
“Kay kung ikaw nahibalo, mangisog ka. Naa kay ka isog nga mu kontra ana nga ibuhat na sa imoha (Because if you knew, you will have the courage. You have the courage to fight against what’s being done to you),” she said.
She added that if women and children don’t know about their rights, there is a tendency that they will let the abuses happen to them.
“Kay kung wala ta kabalo, wala gyud tay mabuhat ana. Basig nagtuo pud ang uban nga okay lang man ni, normal lang ni, pero dili diay. So tinuod gyud na nga knowledge is power (Because if we don’t know [about the rights], then there’s nothing we can do about it. Others may believe that [abuse] is okay, that it’s normal, but it’s not. So it’s really true that knowledge is power),” Rapista-Tan said.
The Rotary Club Tagum Golden LACES focuses its programs on basic education and literacy specially on children’s rights.
Recently, they have distributed learning kits to the youth in Purok Cabugan, Brgy. Busaon, Tagum City regarding their rights and also for them to be aware of and prevent the many types of abuse.
“Tagaan nato ug kapasidad ang mga kababainhan u gang mga kabataan nga malikayan ang klase-klaseng pang-abuso. Kabalo naman ta nga dili lang na siya physical, apil ang emotional ug ang economical abuse (Let’s give the women and youth the capacity to avoid various types of abuse. We know that it’s not just physical, but also emotional and economical abuse),” she said.
In addition, Provincial Social Welfare Development Office (PSWDO) Focal Person on Child Protection, Lanny Guinit, said that Violation Against Women and Children (VAWC) desks have been placed in each barangays for women and children to go to.
“Ang DILG mao juy naghatag ug information ani nga dapat ang tanang barangay adunay VAW desk. So pagkakaron, adunay VAW desks na gyud tanan barangay (the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has given the mandate that all barangays should have a VAWC desk),” Guinit said during Pakigsayod.
The VAWC desks for every barangay serve as barangay-level VAWC personnel who will conduct initial interviews and secure the victim/s while appropriate actions are being readied by the desk in the police station. (Jan Vincent Leuterio, PIA-XI)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
0 Comments