SMLDHFBF JW (Fe

This document is a request for details about a proposed news story examining the effectiveness of Quezon City's anti-catcalling ordinance in reducing sexual harassment cases over the past five years. Specifically, the proposed story seeks to analyze reported harassment data, budget allocation, and whether the ordinance's reporting mechanisms and victim support services have been impactful. It aims to challenge perceptions that blame victims by exploring how society objectifies women. The requester provides potential sources from law enforcement, local government, NGOs, and academia to represent different perspectives. The only potential source interest noted is a police official possibly defending law enforcement.

Uploaded by

Meeko Camba

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

0% found this document useful (0 votes)

86 views3 pages

SMLDHFBF JW (Fe

Uploaded by

Meeko Camba

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

You are on page 1/ 3

Thank you for your interest in proposing a story for BlueInk.News.

Through the support of our

partners, we are able to finance the research phase of a story that is submitted to us for
publication. However, in order to process the modest grant, we need to know what the story is
about. As such, we implore your patience as we ask you for the following details:

General Information

1. Please give a detailed description of what the proposed story is about.

As part of its global campaign to combat sexual harassment and violence in 2014, UN Women
partnered with the Quezon City (QC) local government to push for a policy that would make the
city safer for women, hence the anti-catcalling ordinancea first for the country.

My report would look into whether or not the QC ordinance penalizing street sexual harassment,
signed May of last year, on top of other laws in the country protecting women against sexual
harassment and violence, actually succeeded in reducing the rate of such cases in the area.

The report would give a more accurate picture of how safe the city is really for women, providing
data of sexual harassment occurrences in the last five years, in which areas is it most prevalent,
the most common type of offense, the status of the cases, the profiles of both the perpetrators
and the victim (though the reporter would take extra caution in handling the identity of those who
will make it in the story), as well as how many made use of the mechanism provided for by the
ordinance.

Furthermore, the report also wishes to look into the budget allocation and expenditure for the
implementation of the ordinance to examine whether it has been used in the best interest.

2. Please give a summary of what has already been published/aired/known regarding the
proposed story.

Despite being regarded as gender-friendly, having ranked seven out of 144 countries in the
World Economic Forums 2016 Gender Gap Report, the Philippines has seen a 500 percent
increase in cases of violence against women (VAW) in the past 16 years, as reported by
Rappler.com in 2015. This is in spite of numerous laws enacted, supposedly protecting women
from such offenses.
According to the Philippine Commission on Women, 19.7 percent of VAW cases in the country
pertain to sexual harassment offenses.

Sexual harassment refers to unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and
other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, as defined by the U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission. Based on this definition, it also includes street-level offenses such as
catcalling, stalking and/or groping.

In Quezon City (QC) alone, the biggest of 16 cities in Metro Manila, 3 out of 5 women have
experienced sexual harassment in public spaces at least once in their lifetime, according to a
2016 survey by the Social Weather Stations. Among the victims, 88 percent are between 18
and 24 years old.

Moreover, 3 out of 5 men admitted to having committed a form of sexual harassment.

The survey also revealed that more women than men, 27 and 21 percent respectively, believe
it is the womans fault why she got/is sexually harassed.

Scope

3. What does the proposed story seek to uncover in terms of policies, regulations,
structures, government or public standards and the like?

The story aims to examine the efficiency of existing laws and local policy/ies that supposedly
protect women from violence and/or sexual harassment, and identify the problems the
government might be encountering (or creating) in implementing them.

In the case QC, it would look into the mechanism of reporting such offenses, as well as if the
local government offers any form of health assistance (psychological and physical) to the
victims and its effectivity.

On the other hand, the story would also see if the local government is tireless in its efforts to
educate its citizens, especially offenders, on the policy.

4. What belief systems will the proposed story explore and how will it affect the existing
perception as regards the subject?

The story will look into the objectification of women in our current society, and how it manifests
into something seemingly as simple as catcalling. It aims to show the grave imbalance of the
feeling of safety and security, a basic human right, between men and women, and hopes to
challenge the public to see abuse and violence as the fault of the offender, not the victim.

Sourcing

5. Please provide the names and the designation of at least five persons you would wish to
utilize as the source of your story and a brief comment on what perspectives they represent.
Name of source Designation of Source Perspective being represented
Rowena D.C. Lamboho Chief Police Supt., QCPD Law enforcers
Women and Child Protection
desk
Gender and Development
Cariza Anne Laguardia Resource and Coordinating QC Local Government
Office, QC City Hall
Sec. Judy Taguiwalo Department of Social Welfare National Government
and Development
Kamil Albuen Manangan GABRIELA National Alliance Non-government organization
of Womens Organizations catering to womens rights

Adrienne Sheryl Rose L. Research Center for Women Academic organization

Maguddayao Studies, UP Diliman focused on womens rights
and participation in nation-
building
6. What potential interests do the sources you indicated above have which might prove
detrimental to your story as a whole?
Source Interest
Rowena D.C. Lamboho Defending the interest of the police and/or administration

Proponent details

Contact details