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UN Women, QC gov’t urge urban safety, protection of women in public spaces
The Quezon City local government and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) called on local government units in Metro Manila to help ensure urban safety and the protection of women and girls from sexual harassment and violence in public spaces.
"The issue of public space harassment is not as popular as domestic violence. When you talk about violence against women in this country and in others, they focus on domestic violence—not to say that that isn’t important; it is," said Katherine Belen, technical consultant of UN Women Safe Cities Global Initiative told reporters on Thursday at the start of a conference on the issue in Quezon City on Thursday.
"However… public space harassment can be equally traumatic to women, brings [them] fear, limits their participation in public life—and it’s about time that we pay attention to it, not just as UN Women, but as implementers in government. That’s what we’re emphasizing in the conference."
ONGOING: Safe cities Metro Manila Mayors conference pic.twitter.com/zUVNWEFEMF
— Marlly Bondoc (@marllybondoc) June 15, 2017
Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista said that the conference is "just the start."
"There will be a series of workshops so that we are able to enhance one common ordinance for all na mas madali nating i-implement ito for the entire Metropolitan Manila area, so do not be disheartened," he said.
The Safe Cities Metro Manila (SCMM) program pioneered by Quezon City in 2015 aims to "develop and effectively implement comprehensive laws and policies to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and violence against women and girls (SVAWG) in public spaces."
It also encourages men and boys to join in the reforming of the country's culture of tolerating sexual harassment of women in public spaces.
Quezon City is the first city in the country to take part in the UN Women's global flagship program, "Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces." The first phase was successfully concluded in August 2016, with Quezon City moving to challenge the misconception that harassing women in public spaces is acceptable through raising awareness and sparking discussions.
About 14 out of 17 local government units in Metro Manila were present during the kick-off of the 2-day "Safe Cities Metro Manila Mayors Conference" held at the Novotel Manila in Quezon City.
However, Valenzuela, Marikina and Muntinlupa representatives were a no-show.
The SCMM program will also be supported by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) in order to further extend its implementation.
Risa Hontiveros, chair of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, highlighted in her speech said that there are three things to be considered in order to have a "good city."
She said that the public must have the "freedom to move and feel safe from all forms of harm," where people can "flourish" in their work and "find leisure and enjoyment in public spaces."
She added that it is "where people not only have the best available public services such as schools, hospitals, and the access to healthcare, but that they should also find a way to also participate in the shaping of their barangays, villages, and subdivisions."
Nothing honorable about culture of disrespect
Bautista pointed out that one of the roadblocks in this program is the culture of the country.
"Ang culture hindi naman nababago, ibig sabihin hindi naman nababago overnight. Simulan na natin sa mga sarili natin," he said.
Hontiveros also called out on public officials who remain to act careless on their words that would make women "feel unsafe."
Senator Risa Hontiveros: Violence begins with language pic.twitter.com/GpDVG7cf9c
— Marlly Bondoc (@marllybondoc) June 15, 2017
"I [would] just like to also stress that, as a matter not only of governance, but also of principle, we cannot claim to ever create a safe city if the actions and words of our elected officials all over the cities make us feel unsafe. It's completely unacceptable that we have elected officials anywhere in our country who profess to love their wives, sisters, daughters, and yet flagrantly defend cheating on them," Hontiveros said.
"How can we ever claim to be a nation that stands for equality if our leaders make off-hand references to women's legs and fully expect that as a compliment without the woman's consent? How can we have officials cat-calling woman reporters in the middle of a press conference and not acknowledge and not acknowledge such disrespect? How can we have a head of state who treats rape as a laughing matter, or for that matter any government leaders who excuse that sexism?" she added.
However, she emphasized that this "culture" is "nothing new" and continues to proliferate in the country.
"This language, combined with a culture of impunity and blatant disregard for law and human rights is the clearest, most gruesome manifestation of macho violence as an excuse to use violence to defend the chauvinistic sensibilities of so-called honor," Hontiveros said.
"I'll be frank, dear friends: there is nothing honorable about this at all and it all the more emphasizes the need to create and pass laws and ordinances that protect people of all genders from discrimination," she added. — BM, GMA News
