WOMEN AND CHILDREN PROTECTION PROGRAM

Description

In 1997, Administrative Order 1-B or the “Establishment of a Women and Children Protection
Unit in All Department of Health (DOH) Hospitals” was promulgated in response to the
increasing number of women and children who consult due to violence, rape, incest, and other
related cases.

Since A.O. 1-B was issued, the partnership among the Department of Health (DOH), University
of the Philippines Manila, the Child Protection Network Foundation, several local government
units, development partners and other agencies resulted in the establishment of women and child
protection units (WCPUs) in DOH-retained and Local Government Unit (LGU) -supported
hospitals. As of 2011, there are 38 working WCPUs in 25 provinces of the country. For the past
years, there have been attempts to increase the number of WCPUs especially in DOH-retained
hospitals, but they have been unsuccessful for many reasons.

As of 2016, a total of 94 WCPUs were established nationwide that served about 8,000 cases in
the past year.

“The DOH shall provide medical assistance to victims” through a socialized scheme by the
Women and Children Protection Unit (WCPU) in DOH-retained hospitals or in coordination with
LGUs or other government health facilities (RA 9262: Anti-violence Violence Against Women
Against Women And Their Children And Their Children Act Of 2004)

The Department shall refer the child who is placed under protective custody to a government
medical or health officer for a physical/ mental examination and/or medical treatment (RA 7610:
Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act)

Republic Act No. 10354 (The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012)
highlights the elimination of violence against women and children and other forms of sexual and
gender-based violence.

Vision

A gender-fair and violence-free community where women and their children are empowered

Mission

Improved strategy towards a violence-free community through more systematic primary

prevention, accessible and effective response system and strengthened functional mechanisms
for coordination, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting
Objectives

To institutionalize and standardize the quality of service and training of all women and children
protection units. Specifically, the program aims to: Prevent violence against women and children
from ever occurring (primary prevention)

1. Intervene early to identify and support women and children who are at risk of violence
(early intervention); and
2. Respond to violence by holding perpetrators accountable, ensure connected services are
available for women and their children (response).

Program Components

 Violence & Injury Prevention

 Mental Health

Partner Institutions

Local & International Development Partners:

o Council for the Welfare of Children

o Philippine Commission of Women
o Department of Social Welfare and Development
o Department of Interior and Local Government
o Department of Justice
o Department of Labor and Employment
o Philippine National Police
o National Bureau of Investigation
o Civil Service Commission
o Commission on Human Rights
o Child Protection Network
o SAVE the Children
o World Health Organization
o UNICEF

Policies and Laws

 Republic Act 7610: Anti-Child Abuse Law

 Republic Act 9262: Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act
 Republic Act No. 8353: Anti-Rape Law
 Republic Act 10364: Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons (RA 9208: Anti-
Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003)
 Republic Act No. 8505: Rape Victim Assistance & Protect Act
  Republic Act 9710: Magna Carta of Women
 RA 7877: Anti-Sexual Harassment Act
 Republic Act 10354 (The Responsible and Reproductive Health Act of 2012)
 Administrative Order 1-B s. 1997: DOH Policy on the establishment of Women &
Children’s Protection Units (WCPU)
 Administrative Order 2013-0011: Revised guidelines on the establishment of
WCPUs in all hospitals
 Administrative Order 2014-0002: Violence and Injury Prevention

Strategies, Action Points and Timeline

 PRIMARY PREVENTION – address the underlying conditions that influence

women and children's health, building a gender responsive community (family as
entry point)
 SERVICE DELIVERY - foster collaborative partnerships which improve health
outcomes
 ADVOCACY & SOCIAL MOBILIZATION - expand the reach and influence of
our work, empowered communities
 RESEARCH & INNOVATION - research current and emerging issues affecting
women and children
 ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE - ensure quality systems and practices that
promote organizational sustainability, continuous improvement and innovation

Program Accomplishments/Status

 Establishment 94 functional WCPUs nationwide in collaboration with CPN

 VAWC Registry System established in 2016, with participating hospitals/WCPUs
reporting
 Consultation and Planning Meeting with Regional Coordinators & WCPUs/hospitals
 Trained health workers & WCPU staff on 4Rs (Recognizing, Recording Reporting,
and Referral) & Enhanced Training on Handling Abused Women & Children

Calendar of Activities

 Participation to the Celebration of 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against

Women (every November-December)
 Participation to the Celebration of National Children’s Month every November

Statistics

 Sexual abuse cases (64%) are more commonly seen than physical abuse cases (17%)
in the WCPUs. However, the National Baseline Study on Violence against Children in
the Philippines (NBS-VAC) showed the exact opposite: about 66% of respondents
reported experiencing physical violence while 17% experienced sexual violence in
childhood. This validates the finding of the VAC Study where the respondents
 declared that of all forms of abuse, it is sexual abuse that is reportable while corporal
punishment is widely accepted. Psychological abuse continues to be the least
recognized although the VACS study showed that 3 out of 5 children have
experienced psychological violence.
 Low disclosure rates are typical of sexual violence against children (NBS-VAC,
2015). In fact, sexual violence was only disclosed by a small proportion of children
(1.6%). If the child disclosed at all, it was usually to a friend.
 There is a general belief that sexually abused children are typically girls. In the
WCPUs, girl-children seeking services far outnumber boy-children. The most glaring
result of the NBS-VAC, however, is that males were significantly more likely than
females to experience sexual violence at home and in school. A higher proportion of
males also reported experiencing sexual violence in all other settings (community,
workplace, and dating). While sexual victimization in general is underreported, boys
are even more so underreported.
 Presently, there is a low number of referrals to WCPUs from the schools/teachers.
The NBS-VAC, however, showed that among children who sought help from
authorities, the largest proportion reached out to teachers (18.6%) and guidance
counselors (6.7%). Safe Schools for Teens highlights the key role of the school in
child protection by increasing the capacity of teachers to recognize and respond to
violence against children.
 Physical violence against children most commonly occurs at home (VACS, 2015).
Corporal punishment or violent discipline is widely used by Filipino parents and
accepted as a norm (SLR, 2016). Parenting programmes prevent child maltreatment
by strengthening caregiver-child relationships and helping parents manage their
children’s behavior through effective, age-appropriate, positive parenting strategies.
Parenting for Lifelong Health aims to develop and test affordable, evidence-based,
and culturally-appropriate programmes to prevent child maltreatment.
 While most physical violence occurs in the form of violent discipline, it may also
occur in non-disciplinary contexts. The toxic trio of social norms around physical
violence, financial stress and substance misuse are risk factors (SLR, 2016).
 Sexual violence against children most often occurs in the home (11.7%) and during
dating (13.7%) (NBS-VACS, 2015). Lack of supervision, single headed households,
and absent parents increase the risk for sexual violence against children in the home
(SLR, 2016). The VACS Study (2015) identify the neighbor as the most common
perpetrator of sexual violence in the community which is validated by the cases seen
at the WCPUs. The increasing number of text mate / chatmate perpetrators shows the
emerging threat presented by Internet and social media. Risky online behavior and
lack of supervision when using the Internet exposes children to online sexual
solicitation and grooming (SLR, 2016).

Program Manager

Ms. Arlene Rivera (Program Manager)

Ms. Dulce Elfa, RN, MPH (Alternate Program Manager)
Women and Men’s Health Development Division
Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, Department of Health
Weekdays, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM @ 0063 02 651 7800, loc. 1726 or 1729
Email Address: [email protected]