ILOILO City – Make sure that the desks that cater to victims of violence against women (VAW) are functional, a Department of Social Welfare and Development officer urged barangay officials.
VAW desks in villages provide women a venue where they can report any kind of abuse they experience, according to DSWD Region 6 information officer May Rago.
The Social Welfare department was joining the 18-day campaign to end VAW in the Philippines (Nov. 25 to Dec. 15).
“We have to acknowledge that abuses against women continue to happen, and barangays should be the first responders,” Rago said.
Reporting the abuse is vital to prevent it from happening again, according to the social welfare officer.
Otherwise, whoever commits the abuse “would think it is normal” will “most likely repeat” the abusive behavior, she said.
Aside from the VAW desks in the barangays, abused women may also seek help from their local Social Welfare and Development Offices and police stations.
Any kind of abuse against women should be considered “alarming,” said Rago. An offense against human rights, it should not be tolerated, she added.
The DSWD established a Regional Center for Women to provide protective and rehabilitative services among women survivors of abuse and violence.
The center in New Lucena, Iloilo helps them resolve their problems and restore their normal social functioning. It currently caters to 21 women, nine of whom were survivors of VAW.
Clients are provided with social, home life, educational, psychological, health, entrepreneurial, recreational, developmental, and spiritual services. (With PNA/PN)
