Davao City— The city government’s Integrated Gender And Development Division (IGDD) has canceled two major events on Women’s Month in keeping with the health department’s advisory on public gatherings due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
The two events are the Women’s Summit and Women’s Parade, two major activities to celebrate the National Women’s Month this March.
IGDD, however, vowed the Women’s Month will not go unrecognized. It will continue to hold orientations about preventing rape and sexual harassment in all villages. IGDD is the division created through City Ordinance No. 5004, otherwise known as the Davao City Women Development Code of 1997, later amended as City Ordinance No. 1032-02 series of 2003.
Lorna B. Mandin, the head of the IGDD, said the orientations will be conducted as part of the vision of IGDD to empower women and educate them with their rights and different abuses against them.
Mandin shared that every year, more and more women report cases in their office, which only proves that women are becoming more aware and conscious of their rights.
According to Mandin, the most common cases reported are economic abuse; psychological or emotional abuse such as having an affair with another woman and abandonment; physical abuse; and, sexual abuse.
Mandin stressed that these are not only applicable to married couples but also for live-in partners, or anyone in an intimate relationship.
Mandin said the Women’s Month celebration was birthed from history or as Mandin puts it, “herstory”, wherein 15,000 women in America in 1905-1910, protested in the streets against their poor working conditions including sexual harassment, discrimination, among others.
Since 1911, the world celebrates March 8 as an International Women’s Day. It was officially commemorated by the United Nations in 1975 and was officially recognized by the UN two years later.
Mandin added that the country and the city is compliant with the issuances that promote the movement of protecting women’s rights.
“In the Philippines naa ta’y issuances, naa ta’y mga balaod nga nagproklama— ug kita sa Davao, naa pud na sa atong Women Development Code na ginadeclare ug paghatag ug recognition ug pagrespeto sa katungod sa mga kababain-an. Mao na pinaagi sa legislation, balaod nagsulti, nagpamatuod ang siyudad nga naa siya’y commitment para i-promote ang katungod sa kababain-an (In the Philippines we have issuances and laws recognizing women’s rights. In Davao, we also have the Women Development Code that gives recognition and respect to the rights of women. Through the legislation, it shows that the City is committed to promoting the rights of women),” she said. CIO