ILOILO City – Barangay councils should make sure that their helpdesks for abused women are functional, a social welfare official said.
“Abuses against women continue. Barangay councils should be the first responders,” said May Rago, information officer of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Western Visayas.
DSWD is leading an 18-day campaign to end violence against women (VAW) from Nov. 25 to Dec. 15.
According to Rago, VAW helpdesks in villages are essential. These are venues where women could report abuses, she stressed.
“The abuse should be reported. If not, your partner would think it is normal and more likely, he will repeat the violence,” Rago said, addressing the women.
Distressed women should seek help from the local social welfare and development office and the police, said Rago.
Every abuse against a woman must not be tolerated; it should alarm everyone, she stressed.
DSWD established a Regional Center for Women to provide protective and rehabilitative services to women survivors of abuse and violence and help them solve their problems and restore their normal social functions.
Located in New Lucena, Iloilo, the center currently serves 21 women, nine of whom are survivors of VAW.
They are provided with social, home life, educational, psychological, health, entrepreneurial, recreational, developmental and spiritual interventions. (PNA)
