cognizancejournal.

com
Anelyn Altamero Weis, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.4, Issue.12, December 2024, pg. 213-227
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843
Index Copernicus Value (ICV) = 77.57

Sexual Violence among Women and

Children in the Caraga Region
Anelyn Altamero Weis
Graduate School, Cagayan de Oro College, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
Email: [email protected]

DOI: 10.47760/cognizance.2024.v04i12.022

Abstract: Sexual violence has a negative and traumatic life experience with extensive psychological and sociological
effects on the victims irrespective of their gender. Moreover, sexual violence can happen to anyone, man or woman at
any age. Sexual assault in childhood or adulthood affects not only the victim but also the victim’s family and friends
as well as society as a whole. This research is a descriptive qualitative design. Two sets of interview questionnaires
were made for the 60 respondents: 6 victims, 34 PNP desk officers, and 20 social workers. The findings were
carefully analyzed and validated. The research was conducted in the five provinces and one highly urbanized city of
Butuan in the CARAGA region. From the results, it is imperative to conclude that sexual violence like rape is highly
prevalent, a serious problem in the Caraga region that can have lasting, harmful effects on victims and their families,
friends, and communities. The solutions are just as complex as the problem. Thus, a collaborative effort is needed to
prevent this problem. Recommendations were proposed based on the findings and conclusion of this study that are
patterned from the National Centre for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention program, as
follows: 1) Promote social rules that protect against sexual violence by engaging and mobilizing the youth and adult
males as allies. Let them be part of the front liners in the various advocacy campaigns for massive social awareness,
2)Teach skills among women and children to prevent sexual violence through social-emotional learning sessions;
Teaching healthy-safe dating and intimate relationship skills to adolescents; Promoting health sexuality; and
Empowerment-based training or seminar, 3) Provide opportunities to empower and support women and children by
strengthening economic supports for women and families and strengthening leadership and opportunities for the
children, 4) Create protective environments through improving safety and monitoring in schools; establishing and
consistently applying workplace policies and addressing community-level risks through environmental safety
approaches and provide basic self-defense skills, 5) Support victims/survivors to lessen harms through victim-
centered services; treatment for victims of sexual violence; and treatment for at-risk children and families to prevent
problem behavior including sex offending. Strengthened and mobilized the ERPAT (Empowerment and
Reaffirmation of Paternal Abilities) program as well as the functionality of BCPC (Barangay Council for the
Protection of Children), and 6) Establish a mobile “Sexual Violence Victim Centers” where the communication access
is strong to monitor and rescue sexually abused victims in the locality.

Keywords: sexual violence, prevalence, rape, sexual harassment, incestuous.

©2024, Cognizance Journal, ZAIN Publications, Fridhemsgatan 62, 112 46, Stockholm, Sweden, All Rights Reserved 213
 cognizancejournal.com
Anelyn Altamero Weis, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.4, Issue.12, December 2024, pg. 213-227
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843
Index Copernicus Value (ICV) = 77.57

INTRODUCTION
Today, society has become more fragile and challenging. There have been several laws created to protect vulnerable
members of the community such as women and children against exploitation and discrimination, yet cases of violence
especially sexual violence continue to exist everywhere. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), sexual
violence is a serious public health and human rights problem with both short- and long-term consequences on women's
physical, mental, and sexual and reproductive health. It would cause a painful and violating life experience for the victim
survivor whether it occurs within the setting of an intimate partner, in the community, or during a time of conflict (Center for
Disease Control, 2024).
As defined in Republic Act 9262 or Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004, “sexual violence refers
to an act that is sexual, committed against a woman or her child. It includes rape, sexual harassment, acts of lasciviousness,
treating a woman or her child as a sex object, making demeaning and sexually suggestive remarks, physically attacking the
sexual parts of the victim's body, forcing her/him to watch obscene publications and indecent shows or forcing the woman or
her child to do indecent acts and/or make films thereof, forcing the wife and mistress/lover to live in the conjugal home or
sleep together in the same room with the abuser; acts causing or attempting to cause the victim to engage in any sexual
activity by force, threat of force, physical or other harm or threat of physical or other harm or coercion, and prostituting the
woman or child.” (“RA 9262”, 2004.)
Sexual assault is one form of sexual violence that has a profoundly negative and traumatic life event with widespread
psychological and sociological effects on the victim irrespective of their gender. It frequently offers an upward thrust to a
huge variety of poor emotions, embarrassment, and existential questions such as “Why me? It increases feelings of
helplessness and powerlessness in the victim affecting their self-esteem and producing feelings, which suggest that they may
be vulnerable to further violence (Bhugra, 2017). Moreover, sexual violence can happen to anyone, man or woman at any
age. Sexual assault in childhood or adulthood affects not only the victim but also the victim’s family and friends as well as
society as a whole. Thus, sexual assault is a health issue that concerns the public. Sexual violence occurs in any setting at
home, in the workplace, and everywhere. One in five children in the Philippines has experienced sexual violence ("Fighting
the rampant sexual abuse of Filipino children through peer education," 2019). According to the same source, one in three
sexual trafficking victims are children.
Sexual violence can affect the physical, emotional, mental, and social aspects of the victims and their families. In the
aftermath of a sexual attack or rape, survivors can face extraordinarily hard and painful feelings and experiences. The
consequences of the trauma may be short time period or ultimately lengthy after the sexual attack or rape. The victims may
suffer the possibility of having unwanted pregnancies and chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. According to
Dr. Mukwege, the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2018 that sexual violence in conflict takes many forms including rape, gang
rape, penetration with objects or weapons, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy or abortion, forced marriage, sexual torture, and
a host of other horrific abuses designed to humiliate and destroy the sexual identity and autonomy of the victim. Beyond
injury and disease, the psychological and social impacts of humiliation and shame are corrosive for victims and their
communities alike. Victims may excluded from their families and communities, and children born of rape face lifelong
stigmatization and rejection. Moreover, communities and authorities fail to hold perpetrators to account, preferring to
maintain the status quo, enabling impunity and fueling a downward spiral of abuses, according to the same source.
This study anchored to the Victims Precipitation Theory of Marvin Wolfgang in the 20th century, which holds that the
victim is the contributing factor to their victimization. The attributes of the victim and his or her inherent characteristics
predispose him/her to be the victim of a crime. Women especially, can pose risk to criminals and can effortlessly become

©2024, Cognizance Journal, ZAIN Publications, Fridhemsgatan 62, 112 46, Stockholm, Sweden, All Rights Reserved 214
 cognizancejournal.com
Anelyn Altamero Weis, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.4, Issue.12, December 2024, pg. 213-227
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843
Index Copernicus Value (ICV) = 77.57

easy targets. In a sense, victims contribute to their victimization in one way or another. Relating the said theory to real-life
situations, women and children are often victims of sexual violence because they are very vulnerable and become easy
targets of the perpetrators. Han von Hentig in his book “The Criminal and His Victim, (2012)” classified young females as
one of the 13 categories of victims who are most vulnerable to being victimized because of their ignorance or risk-taking, or
may be taken advantage of such as when mostly females were sexually assaulted. Benjamin Mendelsohn who began
studying victims who was working on the defense of a rape case. Then, he became interested in the correlations between
rapists and their victims. He found out that, there is often a strong interpersonal relationship between the two and that it
could lead some victims to unknowingly invite or even cause their victimization (Meadows, 2013). He cited this as victim
precipitation: crime brought on or partly facilitated with the aid of using the victim. He ultimately believed that many
victims share an unconscious capacity for being victimized, and referred to this as being victim-prone (Karmen, 2015). Von
Hentig and Mendelsohn developed a typology that categorizes the extent to which a victim is culpable in his or her demise.
However, at the same time as Von Hentig’s typology explains the victim contribution primarily based totally on non-public
characteristics, Mendelsohn’s typology makes use of situational factors. One of Mendelsohn’s six victim types, as adapted
from Meadows (2012) is a completely innocent victim: a victim who bears no responsibility at all for victimization;
victimized simply because of his or her nature, such as being a child (SAGE Journal, 2012).
The majority of adult sexual assaults involve a male perpetrator and a female victim. The number of major sexual assault
theories that are relevant for adult perpetrators and adult victims include neurobiological and integrated biological theories,
routine activity theory, feminist theory, social learning and related theories, typology approaches, and integrated theories
(WHO, 2014). The World Health Organization (WHO) in its record on Sexual Violence, (2014), additionally diagnosed
other kinds and contexts of sexual violence. The report stipulated that a range of sexually violent acts potentially occur in
different circumstances and settings. These incidents include rape within marriage or romantic relationship; rape by
strangers; systematic rape during armed conflict; unwanted sexual advances or sexual harassment including demanding sex
in return for favors; sexual abuse of mentally or bodily disabled people; sexual abuse of children; pressured marriage or
cohabitation like wedding of children; denial of the proper to apply contraception or to undertake different measures to
defend towards sexually transmitted diseases; pressured abortion; violent acts towards the sexual integrity of women such as
lady genital mutilation and compulsory inspections for virginity; pressured prostitution; and trafficking of humans for sexual
exploitation. According to data from justice systems and rape crisis centers in Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea,
Peru, and the United States, between one-third and two-thirds of sexual assault are aged 15 years or less. Certain forms of
sexual violence, for instance, are very closely associated with a young age, in particular violence taking place in schools and
colleges, and the trafficking of women for sexual exploitation (Krug, Dahlberg, 2015).
Based on marital status, according to the Bulletin of the World Health Organization (2016), “mothers who reported being
dissatisfied with their marriages or battered by their husbands were more likely to have youngsters who had skilled sexual
violence than moms who mentioned an excellent marriage and no bodily abuse”. The study of Siddique 2016 showed that
“age and marital status are well-established correlates of criminal victimization, including adult women's sexual
victimization. The study further explained that the “National crime statistics along with academic publications, have
specified that younger women and unmarried women are more likely to be sexually victimized than older ladies and married
ladies”. In addition, the study of Vanderwoerd (2017), which compared reported sexual violence on Christian campuses,
revealed that sexual violence occurred less frequently from Christian colleagues compared to his samples from secular
campuses.
Women and children are vulnerable to violence and the most traumatic life experiences when they become victims of sexual

©2024, Cognizance Journal, ZAIN Publications, Fridhemsgatan 62, 112 46, Stockholm, Sweden, All Rights Reserved 215
 cognizancejournal.com
Anelyn Altamero Weis, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.4, Issue.12, December 2024, pg. 213-227
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843
Index Copernicus Value (ICV) = 77.57

violence. This violence, specifically rape, usually perpetrated by men known to the victims. According to the 2022 National
Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, 17.5% of Filipino women aged
15-49 have experienced any form of physical, sexual, and emotional violence from their intimate partners. As of 2021, there
were a reported 1,791 cases of rape and 1,505 cases on acts of lasciviousness. It is alarming that despite the attempts of
addressing the concern, sexual violence certainly persists. To statistics, the Caraga region has a noted increase of rape cases
from 381 in 2022 to 455 in 2023, and incest rape of 64 in 2022 to 81 in 2023, respectively (CIRAS generated data). This
could be alarming to those vulnerable persons and their families. It could be a challenge to the concerned government
agencies especially to the law enforcement agencies as their mandate is to deter the occurrences of these incidents if not
being prevented. It may be that lack of understanding and the culture of silence that permeates sensitive issues that cause
this problem of sexual violence.
With the aforementioned situation, this study was conducted to explore further and determine the prevalence of sexual
assault cases in the CARAGA Region among women and children. Results would be used to further evaluate the crime rate
of sexual violence, examine possible contributory factors for the occurrence of such crimes, and develop more interventions
to finally deter the said crime.

OBJECTIVES
This research was designed to explore and determine how prevalent the cases of sexual violence in the Caraga
Region are among women and children.
Specifically, the following questions were formulated to achieve this goal:
1. What is the case detail and overview profile of the victims in terms of Age, Educational level, Civil status, and
Address?
2. How are the victims in terms of social support mechanisms provided by the Social workers, PNP desk officers,
Family?
3. How prevalent are the cases on sexual violence among women and children in Caraga Region, in terms of the
following classifications: Rape, Incestuous Rape, and Sexual Harassment?
4. What preventive measures or programs are implemented by the concerned agencies to address sexual violence
among women and children in the Caraga Region?

METHODS
This is descriptive-qualitative research using information available at the location but non-statistical to gain an understanding
of the prevalence of sexual violence among women and children in the Caraga region. Two sets of interview questionnaires
were made for the respondents like the victims, PNP desk officers, and social workers. A face-to-face interview with the
victims was conducted upon giving a clearance to conduct the said data gathering. The findings were carefully analyzed and
validated. A detailed description of the respondent’s case based on the interview was done to help bolster external validity.
Data collected formed a specific basis for the findings, conclusion, and recommendations of the study.
The research was conducted in the Caraga region which comprises a highly urbanized city of Butuan and five provinces of
Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur, with a population of 2,933,772
(Based on 2015 census). The researcher gathered the data from three groups of respondents: six selected victims of sexual
abuse, 34 PNP desk officers, and 20 Social Workers. They all came from the 77 police stations in the Caraga region. A
purposive sampling method was adopted noting that this study involved sensitive participation of the selected victims. Thus,

©2024, Cognizance Journal, ZAIN Publications, Fridhemsgatan 62, 112 46, Stockholm, Sweden, All Rights Reserved 216
 cognizancejournal.com
Anelyn Altamero Weis, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.4, Issue.12, December 2024, pg. 213-227
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843
Index Copernicus Value (ICV) = 77.57

the researcher considered the following: a) choose only the cases reported and documented in the selected police stations of
the Caraga region; b) victims of sexual violence, female, and residing within the Caraga region, and where the incidence of
sexual violence also took place. The Social workers and the PNP respondents were also purposely selected according to their
location, assignment, and availability.

TABLE I
Distribution of Respondents for the Interviews
____________________________________________________________________
Respondents Purposive Sample
___________________________________________________________________________
Victims of Abuses 6
PNP Desk Officers 34
PNP Desk Officers 20
___________________________________________________________________________
Total 60
___________________________________________________________________________

The study used a researcher-made questionnaire (patterned from study interviews in the field of Psychology) as a guide for
the interviews conducted. The instrument allowed the collection of the needed information. Interview questionnaires were in
two sets. The guide questions for the victims were concerned with establishing answers to what they realized from such life
experiences. For PNP desk officers and social workers, the focus was on how they assist the victims as service providers.
Statistics on the sexual abuse cases generated from the data were generated from each precinct as officially recorded.
Moreover, the underlying reason to conduct an interview is to gain a richly detailed understanding of the problem, or
meaning based on first-hand experience of the victim respondents.
A tryout of the questionnaire was done to test its validity to selected samples who were excluded as respondents in the study.
Sample respondents of ten did the trial testing by answering the prepared interview questionnaire. Also, a group of educated
persons did their review and enrichment of the interview questionnaires to ensure their validity.
The researcher followed the ethical considerations in the conduct of this study. All the respondents’ responses were recorded
using number codes to protect their confidentiality. Also, this study considered basic information of the victim respondents.
All details and procedures in the conduct of the interview were documented accordingly. Data gathered were analyzed
critically and interpreted word for word based on verbal documented responses of the respondents during the interviews. To
determine the degree of prevalence of sexual abuse among women and children in the CARAGA region, a rubric was
adopted. Thus, it adopted the content analysis after gathering the data from the series of interviews and the Focus Group
Discussion session. This process referred to the categorization of verbal or behavioral data or responses of the respondents
that were classified, analyzed, summarized, and tabulated. A rubric was used in determining the degree of prevalence such
as Highly Prevalent –This means that the cases of sexual violence among women and children in the locality are highly
serious at its level which demands urgent alternative courses of action by the agencies and local government units.
Prevalent –This means that the cases of sexual violence among women and children in the locality are at their average level.
Thus, immediate alternative courses of action by the agencies and local government units would still be demanded. Less
Prevalent –This means that the cases of sexual violence among women and children in the locality are not at a serious level.
Thus, an alternative course of action by the agencies and local government units would still be demanded.

©2024, Cognizance Journal, ZAIN Publications, Fridhemsgatan 62, 112 46, Stockholm, Sweden, All Rights Reserved 217
 cognizancejournal.com
Anelyn Altamero Weis, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.4, Issue.12, December 2024, pg. 213-227
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843
Index Copernicus Value (ICV) = 77.57

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

This provides the presentation of statistical data relative to the problems as earlier cited. Corresponding analysis and
interpretation of these data are likewise incorporated in this portion.

Problem 1. What is the crime detail and overview profile of the victims in terms of Age, Educational level, Civil Status, and Address?

TABLE II
Case Detail and Overview Profile of the Victim Respondents

Overview of the selected Victims of Sexual Responses/Observations

Violence
Age Ages of the (6) victim respondents: (1) 18 years old, (1) 20
years old, (1) 17 years old, (1) 35 years old, (1) years old,
and (1) 47 years old

Educational level Of the (6) victim respondents: (3) College level/graduate, (1)
Grade-3, (1) Grade -12, and (1) Grade -8

Civil Status Of the (6) victim respondents: 33% Married and 77% singles

Addresses 100% of the victim respondents resided at the different remote

Barangays in Butuan City

Type of sexual violence Of the (6) victim respondents: (1) gang rape, (2) sexual
Q- What type of sexual abuse have you harassment,
experienced? (2) incestuous rape, and (1) rape

The frequency of sexual abuses Of the (6) victim respondents,

Q- How many times did you experience (once) for the gang rape
sexual abuse? (many times) for the incestuous rape (once) for the rape
(once) for the sexual harassment
Relation of the perpetrators to the victims Of the (2) incestuous rape victim respondents, the perpetrators
Q- How are you related to the perpetrator/s? were the father and brother
(Officemates) for the sexual harassment (Friends) for the gang
rape
(No relation) for the other victim of rape

Actions taken by the victims 100% of the victims all filed a case and intend to put to jail the
Q- What did you do after the incident? perpetrators
Insights shared by the victims: ∙ Afraid at
first to report the case to the police due to
the threat of being killed by the perpetrator;
Shared her problem with a friend who has an
uncle serving as a police officer in the other
barangay. Through this, the perpetrator was
arrested; Shared her problem with her aunt
which greatly helped in the arrest of her
father and brother
∙ Two victims have experienced trauma and
learned not to mingle with boys and drink
liquor.

©2024, Cognizance Journal, ZAIN Publications, Fridhemsgatan 62, 112 46, Stockholm, Sweden, All Rights Reserved 218
 cognizancejournal.com
Anelyn Altamero Weis, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.4, Issue.12, December 2024, pg. 213-227
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843
Index Copernicus Value (ICV) = 77.57

Q- Will you share a little detail on what Personal testimony shared by the victims: ∙
happened? One victim said that she was drunk when the
gang rape happened. The perpetrators were
also drunk at the time the crime was done;
One victim said that her father was drunk at
the time she was raped. She was threatened
with being killed if she reported to anybody.
With the hope that the victim can get justice,
she tends to report this to her brother but
unfortunately, after a few months, her
brother raped her too; ∙ One said that she was
called by an officemate to come to the office,
while inside that office, her officemate
started to kiss her on the face and touched
her private parts. The same thing with the
other victim, inside the quarter of their
office, the perpetrator touched her private
parts; ∙ One said that while walking in a
secluded area, the perpetrator used a knife to
threaten her and commanded her to go to the
CR and there started to undress her and raped
her.

Note. Table 2 discloses the interview responses of the victim’s respondents on some important information about their
traumatic personal experiences.

The data revealed that of the six victims, the majority of them were from the age bracket 17 to 47 years old. Only one was
underage among the victim respondents. In terms of education, three of the victims were college graduates/level and the
other three were elementary and junior high school. Also, the majority of the victims were single and all of them resided in
the secluded barangays in the Caraga region. The revealed profile implied that the victims were expected to be
physiologically and psychologically capable enough to stand and fight for their rights. Noting that the six victims came from
secluded areas, this must be a good indicator for the barangay officials and other government authorities to review their
security measures and plans to prevent such crimes due to location factors.
In terms of the type of sexual violence, one respondent was a victim of gang rape, two of them were victims of incestuous
rape and the others were victims of sexual harassment. Unfortunately, the victim respondents of incestuous rape were abused
many times by the perpetrators coming from the family or relatives. From the confession of the six victims, it is frustrating to
note that the perpetrators who were family members were selfish and lustful enough to destroy the morale of the said
victims. Parents of the victims must be liable enough for the crime committed. Families with the help of the church and other
non-government sectors must act for moral orientation and recovery in the family in specific and the community in general.
Noting that the gang rape happened because the victim was drunk and the perpetrators were also drunk at the time the crime
happened, schools must strictly strengthen their guidance and counseling programs to prevent similar crimes may happen
among their students. In the case of (one victim who said that her father was drunk at the time she was raped and she was
threatened being killed if she would report to anybody, with the hope that the victim could get justice, she decided to report
this to her brother but unfortunately, after few months, her brother raped her too), parents and family members must
exercise high value of morality. The church and the government organizations may strengthen their support services plan
©2024, Cognizance Journal, ZAIN Publications, Fridhemsgatan 62, 112 46, Stockholm, Sweden, All Rights Reserved 219
 cognizancejournal.com
Anelyn Altamero Weis, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.4, Issue.12, December 2024, pg. 213-227
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843
Index Copernicus Value (ICV) = 77.57

and activities to help save and prevent further incidents of incestuous rape cases.
Another victim shared that she was called by an officemate to come to the office, and while inside that office, her officemate
started to kiss her on the face and touched her private parts. The same thing with the other victim of sexual harassment,
inside the quarter of their office, the perpetrator touched her private parts. Also, one said that while walking in a secluded
area, the perpetrator used a knife to threaten her and commanded her to go to the comfort room and there started to undress
her and raped her. These testimonies of the victims would serve as a big warning to all women that self-safety must not be
taken for granted. This indicates that children and women must learn the art of self-defense.
Moreover, from the interviews, usually the victims said that they were afraid at first to report the case to the police due to the
threat of being killed by the perpetrators. To get justice, others dared to share their problems with a friend or a family
member to report the case to the police and arrest the perpetrators. All of them experienced trauma and learned to be extra
careful. For the youth victims, they learned not to mingle and drink with the boys anymore.
As to what they did after the incident, all of the victim respondents dared to fight for their rights and were able to file the
cases in court, as a result, most of the perpetrators were arrested and in jail now except for the case of gang rape where only
one of the four suspects was arrested.
From the generated information, it is evident to say that that victim respondents generally have the fear to report the incident
to the authorities due to the threats but later were able to fight for their rights. They were traumatized from that incident in
life and each struggled to overcome their very sad experiences. It is so disgraceful to know that the victims of incestuous
rape were abused many times by their family members. Seemingly, the major factor pushing mostly the perpetrators to do
the crime was that they were under the influence of liquor. Thus, women must be extra careful as they relate with various
people in society and may equip themselves with basic self-defense.
With the report of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Sexual Violence, (2012), it is true to say that a wide range of
sexually violent acts can take place in different circumstances and settings. These include for example, rape within marriage
or dating relationships; rape by strangers; systematic rape during armed conflict; unwanted sexual advances or sexual
harassment, including demanding sex in return for favors; sexual abuse of mentally or bodily disabled people; sexual abuse
of children; compelled marriage or cohabitation, consisting of the wedding of children; denial of the proper to apply
contraception or to undertake different measures to defend towards sexually transmitted diseases; pressured abortion; violent
acts towards the sexual integrity of women.

Table III
Respondents Interview Responses on their Observations about Sexual Violence Cases in the Locality

PNP Desk Officers Responses/Observations

Q- In your observations, please 73% of the respondents said the sexual violence cases in the locality are
share a little overview profile on significantly increasing and most minors
the sexual violence 27% cases of the respondents said the following: ∙ Most of the
recorded in your precinct, who suspects were under the influence of liquor or even
are the usual victims? drugs

● Victims were from the dysfunctional families

● Some cases of sexual violence were not reported because the victims
were afraid or threatened which is why they did not file the case
● Most of the perpetrators are family members or relatives
● The victims who are minors were not fully guided by their parents
● Few cases where the victims withdraw the cases filed because the
perpetrators are relatives
©2024, Cognizance Journal, ZAIN Publications, Fridhemsgatan 62, 112 46, Stockholm, Sweden, All Rights Reserved 220
 cognizancejournal.com
Anelyn Altamero Weis, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.4, Issue.12, December 2024, pg. 213-227
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843
Index Copernicus Value (ICV) = 77.57

Q- In your observation, do you 88% of the respondents answered yes. Only 12% answered No
know other victims of sexual
violence living in your locality?

Social Workers
Q- In your observations, please 60% of the respondents said sexual violence cases recorded and assisted
share a little overview profile on by them were mostly minors ages 10-13 years old
the sexual violence cases you 40% of the respondents said the following: ∙ Minimal
have assisted in the precinct, who cases of sexual violence among adult women
are the usual victims? ● Victims were unattended by the families/parents
● Victims and perpetrators were under the influence of liquor
● Perpetrators were also minors
● Perpetrators were related to the victims
● Victims generally are from the poor/marginalized families
● Victims were from the flung areas ∙ Cases where the
victims are with disability
Q- In your observation, do you 85% of the respondents answered yes. Only 15% said “No”.
know other victims of sexual
violence living in your locality?

Note. Table III reveals the insights of the PNP and the Social Worker respondents about the existence of sexual abuse in the locality
as recorded.

The data manifested that the majority of the PNP desk officers believed that sexual violence cases in the Caraga region were
significantly increasing and mostly the victims were minors. Relatively, both the PNP and social worker respondents
affirmed that sexual violence in their locality is relatively becoming a serious concern today. This result would impose a
great big challenge to the PNP, the government institutions, and even the non-government sectors on how to address the
increasing cases of sexual violence among women and children in the region. Also from the insights of the respondents, most
of the suspects were under the influence of liquor or even drugs. The victims were from dysfunctional families and some
cases of sexual violence were not reported because the victims were afraid or threatened that’s why they did not file the case.
Most of the perpetrators were within the family members or relatives and the victims (minors) were not fully guided by their
parents and few cases where the victims have withdrawn the cases filed because the perpetrators were relatives. These
aforementioned reasons or causes must be taken seriously. This would imply that the government must strictly prohibit
establishments from selling liquor to minors as much as possible. Curfews must be strictly imposed in the locality. Parents
must be given more literacy training on effective parenting to execute strong parental guidance for their children. The youth
must continuously be aware of where they go about if they are victims of sexual violence.
On the other hand, social worker respondents also revealed that sexual violence cases recorded and assisted by them were
mostly minor ages from 10 to 13 years old. Victims were unattended by their families/parents and perpetrators were under
the influence of liquor. Also, the perpetrators were minors. Victims generally were from poor/marginalized families, from
the flung areas, and few cases the victims had a disability. From the findings, it is alarming to note that most of the sexually
violated victims were underage children based on the testimonies. This is because children are vulnerable and helpless and
do not have much knowledge of their rights. Also, it is clear to say that the parents of these victims did not exercise full
parental guidance. There must be full protection to the children against harmful elements in the society especially to those
children victims with disability.
Apparently, in terms of age, it is true to say that young women were usually found to be more at risk of rape than older
women. According to data from justice systems and rape crisis centers in Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea,
©2024, Cognizance Journal, ZAIN Publications, Fridhemsgatan 62, 112 46, Stockholm, Sweden, All Rights Reserved 221
 cognizancejournal.com
Anelyn Altamero Weis, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.4, Issue.12, December 2024, pg. 213-227
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843
Index Copernicus Value (ICV) = 77.57

Peru, and the United States, between one-third and two-thirds of sexual assault are aged 15 years or less. Certain forms of
sexual violence, for instance, are very closely associated with a young age, in particular violence taking place in schools and
colleges, and the trafficking of women for sexual exploitation (Krug, Dahlberg, 2015).

Problem 2. How are the victims in terms of social support mechanisms provided by the Social workers, the PNP desk
officers, and their Families?
One hundred percent (100%) of the victim respondents revealed that they received the following support from the social
workers such as counseling services, and financial assistance. From the PNP, victims received legal assistance, immediate
actions to arrest the perpetrators, and helped in the filing of the case in court. Moral support in the filing of the case, and
prayers were the supports extended by their respective families. Outwardly, it is clear to say that the PNP, the Social
development office, and the families of the victims were supportive enough from material to moral support. This implied that
working as a family will contribute strongly to the fast recovery of the psychological pains of the victims. The PNP desk
officers supported accordingly the victims of sexual violence by conducting a speedy investigation of the case. They
prepared the case folder and ensured the filing of the case. They assisted the victims with the medico-legal and referred them
to the right office for psychological help. They provided temporary shelter, security, food, transportation, and financial
assistance. They coordinated with the Municipal Social Welfare and Development (MSWD) and did home visits to the
families of the victims. The same thing to Social workers, they extend their social support by providing temporary shelter for
the victims, psychosocial interventions, and psychological support (counseling for the victims and their families). They did
life-expressive acts therapy. Also, they provided food assistance, and scholarships and assisted the victims during the
investigation. They conducted home visitations and established a crisis center for victims at risk. The social workers and the
PNP in general did the best that they could to help the victims. The three groups of respondents showed the right care for the
victims for being a family in general. Thus, it is crucial to say that the PNP, social workers, and even other agencies were
responsive enough to address the physiological and psychological needs of the victims. However, it remains to be a
challenge on how other women and children can be protected against sexual violence.
Relatively, according to WHO (World Health Organization, 2013), victims are not responsible for being sexually assaulted.
However, there are certain characteristics of an individual that can make them more vulnerable to sexual assault. Anyone
can be a victim of any form of sexual assault; however, certain people are more prone to be victimized. Between male and
female, the women are commonly the victims of sexual assault. Sexual violence is known to everyone, particularly women.
It was indicated in their Research that the majority of victims of sexual violence are female, most perpetrators are male, and
most victims know their attacker.
Moreover, UNICEF (2018) identified an estimated 100,000 victims of sexual exploitation in the Philippines, dubbing it “the
global epicenter of the live stream sexual abuse trade”. The root of this problem is the reality that sexual exploitation has
found fertile ground in both the lack of understanding and the culture of silence that permeates sensitive issues like this. This
is further aggravated by uncontrollable poverty, which would cause many victims to engage in prostitution as a source of
income to support their needs. Most harrowing is the truth that some of these children fail to completely draw close to the
scenario they have been in. With this, an updated education guide for young Filipinos is needed to help their peers learn
more about the reality of commercial sexual exploitation and how to tackle it. They developed with partners under the Girls
Advocacy Alliance, the Department of Justice, and the Social Welfare and Development Office.

©2024, Cognizance Journal, ZAIN Publications, Fridhemsgatan 62, 112 46, Stockholm, Sweden, All Rights Reserved 222
 cognizancejournal.com
Anelyn Altamero Weis, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.4, Issue.12, December 2024, pg. 213-227
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843
Index Copernicus Value (ICV) = 77.57

Problem 3. How prevalent are the cases of sexual violence among women and children in the Caraga Region, in terms of the
following classifications: Rape, Incestuous Rape, and Sexual Harassment?
The results of the respondents’ interviews about how they rank the sexual violence cases namely: Rape, Incestuous rape, and
sexual harassment in their locality. Seemingly, both PNP desk officers and Social workers came up with a unanimous
ranking on the sex violence cases existing in the Caraga region. Rape cases got the 1 st rank, Incestuous Rape got the 2nd rank,
and sexual harassment got the 3rd rank.
Basing the ranking result of the respondents, it is very clear to conclude that rape proved to be a “highly prevalent” case,
followed by incestuous rape as “prevalent” and sexual harassment as a “less prevalent” case in the Caraga region. As
everybody knows, society today is greatly challenging. Challenging in the sense that even a family member or relative
would dare to ruin the morality and future of a young family member through incestuous rape.
Relatively, the common victims would be the “underage” children because they are helpless and the perpetrators were under
the influence of drugs or liquor. The growing cases of rape today serve as a big signal for all children and women to be extra
careful. Parents must strictly monitor their children. As a child engages in various social media and some other media
platforms, parents must strictly impose parental guidance noting that social media is a contributory factor as to why sexual
violence prevalently exists.
The study finding conformed to the Report of Rape, Abuse, and Incest by National Network (RAINN), (2018) that on
average, there are 321,500 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault incidents every year in the United States. The
organization further reported that younger people, aged 12 or older are at the highest risk of sexual violence. (Department of
Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2013-2017 (2018).
Also, the recorded data on violence against women in the Philippines from the Philippine National Police revealed that a
total of 14,828 cases have been reported from 2013 to 2016, with the following cases of rape being the highest with a total of
6,429 cases; Incestuous Rape 185 cases; Attempted Rape 1,909 cases; Rape with Homicide 18 case; Acts of Lasciviousness
6,024 cases; and Sexual Harassment 443 cases (Bernate, A, et al., 2018).
The official statistics on sexual violence cases in the Caraga region from 2018 to 2023. Based on the statistics, rape got the
highest number of 2,035 cases, followed by Incestuous rape with 270 cases and sexual harassment with 16 cases as recorded.
These statistics would strongly confirm the insights shared by the PNP and social workers during the in-depth interview
sessions. It can be concluded from the above statistics that rape would be a serious, “highly prevalent “sexual violence.
Incestuous rape is “prevalent”, though sexual harassment would be “less prevalent”, still these problems need strong
attention and preventive actions by all government agencies responsible for the protection of women and children in society.
According to the Philippine Commission on Women Journal (2021), in the Philippines, Rape is one of the most prevalent
forms of Violence Against Women (VAW). Reported rape cases ranked second of 1,791 cases of the total reported VAW
cases of 8, 399 in the country as of 2021. The difficult reality is this is not but a genuine illustration of the problem. Due to
cultural and social stigmatization associated with rape, many women victims prefer to maintain their silence and not report
their ordeal to the authorities.
The government with the aid of NGOs has taken initiatives to set up crisis centers for rape survivors in collaboration with the
different sectors of the community to help victims cope with the trauma and inspire them to document rape. Several rape-
associated legal guidelines have additionally been handed to deal with the concern. Through the provision of suitable legal
support and health services, it is hoped that women victims of rape be encouraged to come forward for proper intervention
and justice to be served accordingly. Whether we would be able to change the outcome of the situation or not, by engaging
ourselves or being part of and being able to respond to help change the way people think about their roles in preventing

©2024, Cognizance Journal, ZAIN Publications, Fridhemsgatan 62, 112 46, Stockholm, Sweden, All Rights Reserved 223
 cognizancejournal.com
Anelyn Altamero Weis, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.4, Issue.12, December 2024, pg. 213-227
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843
Index Copernicus Value (ICV) = 77.57

sexual violence, our steps can make a difference in fighting and saving sexual violence victims.

Problem 4. What preventive measures or programs are implemented by the concerned

agencies to address sexual violence among women and children in the Caraga Region?
From the interviews among the PNP Desk officers, the following were pointed out as the
preventive measures currently implemented by the Philippine National Police in Butuan
and Caraga region: 1) Strengthened the information drive by regularly conducting
lectures to women and children about the laws protecting them; 2) Did home and Barangay
visitations all the time; 3) Conducted school to school information drive through
symposium; ∙ Conducted dialogues and educate the public about some rape preventive tips;
4) Conducted series of training for the Barangay officials on how to handle the victims of
sexual violence; 5) Conducted mobile patrol regularly; and 6) Provided hotline number to
every Barangay to report cases on sexual violence.
Moreover, the following were the preventive measures implemented by the Social Welfare Department in Caraga
region: 1) Conducted responsible parenthood seminars and information drive about sexual violence; 2) Conducted Seminar
on gender-based violence; 3) Intensified the information education campaign to students through symposium; 4) Conducted
series of training on how to detect sexual abuses; 5) Strengthened the advocacy on the protection of the rights of women and
children; 6) Mobilized the ERPAT (Empowerment and Reaffirmation of Paternal Abilities) program, and 7) Strengthened
the functionality of BCPC (Barangay Council for the Protection of Children).
From the shared various interventions, hopefully, the sexual violence crime in the Caraga region may be highly
prevented. Evidently, both the PNP and social workers did their part in the resolution of sexual violence. However, the
community must be vigilant too to prevent this such cases. Moreover, everybody must be part of the general solution to this
prevalent sexual violence happening in society today.
Indeed, sexual violence is a critical hassle that could have lasting, dangerous outcomes for victims, their families,
friends, and communities. Sexual violence prevention intends to forestall it from going on in the first place. The solutions are
the same complicated as the problem. Preventing sexual violence calls for addressing elements in any respect stages of the
social ecology the individual, relational, community, and societal stages. On the technical side, there are modules or guide
materials to prevent sexual violence (World Report on Violence and Health) that highlight strategies based on the best
available evidence to assist groups and states save you and decreasing sexual violence. Many of the techniques are
awareness lowering the chance that someone will interact with sexual violence (Lozano R, 2014).
From the general public fitness perspective, sexual violence is regarded as a preventable problem. Data shows it is
miles because of the interaction of a couple of factors, in place of because of an unmarried factor. Notably, this technique no
longer picks out the moves of victims as a reason for sexual violence. Because sexual violence is a multi-faceted problem,
the public health approach to sexual violence emphasizes an equally multi-faceted response involving many sectors of
society (World Health Organization & London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 2012).
Today, many communities are moving toward multidisciplinary collaboration to not only intervene when sexual
violence occurs but to collectively consider how to best prevent it from occurring in the first place. Key players in this
response include community-based organizations, criminal and civil justice systems, state and local health departments,
schools, health care systems, social services, media, policy-making bodies, and workplaces (PREVENT, 2015b).
©2024, Cognizance Journal, ZAIN Publications, Fridhemsgatan 62, 112 46, Stockholm, Sweden, All Rights Reserved 224
 cognizancejournal.com
Anelyn Altamero Weis, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.4, Issue.12, December 2024, pg. 213-227
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843
Index Copernicus Value (ICV) = 77.57

The following findings were derived from the gathered and tabulated results:

On Problem 1
1.1. The majority of the sexually abused victim respondents were in the age bracket 18 to 47 years old. Three of the victims were
college graduates/level and the other three were elementary and junior high school, the majority were singles and resided in
the secluded barangays in the Caraga region. One was a victim of gang rape, two of them were victims of incestuous rape
and the others were victims of sexual harassment. Unfortunately, the victim respondents of incestuous rape were abused
many times by the perpetrators;
1.2. All of the victim respondents were able to file the cases in court and most of the perpetrators were arrested and jailed. Victims
were traumatized and each struggled to overcome their very sad life experiences; and
1.3. Both the PNP desk officers and the Social worker respondents believed that sexual violence cases in their locality were
significantly increasing and mostly the victims were minors. Most of the suspects were under the influence of liquor or even
drugs. Also, victims were from dysfunctional families, and some sexual violence cases were not reported because the victims
were afraid or threatened, which constrained them to file the case.

On Problem 2
2.1. The victim respondents received social support from the Social workers like counseling services and financial assistance.
From the PNP, they received Legal assistance, immediate actions to arrest the perpetrators helped in the filing of the case in
court, and moral support in the filing of the case as well as prayers from their respective families;
2.2. Specifically, the PNP desk officers provided the following: Conducted a speedy investigation of the case; Prepared the case
folder and ensured that the case must be filed; Assisted the victims with the medico-legal; Referred the patients to the right
office for counseling; Provided temporary shelter; Provided security; Provided financial assistance; Coordinated with the
MSWDO; Visited the family of the victims(Do home visits); Used anatomical dolls during the interviews; Offered food and
transportation assistance; and
2.3. The Social workers extended the following to the victims: Provided temporary shelter for the victims; Provided psychosocial
interventions; Provided psychological supports (counseling); Did life expressive acts therapy; Provided family counseling
and Food assistance; Referred to agencies for scholarships; Assisted the victims during the investigation; Conducted home
visitations and Counselling for the victims and family and Financial assistance; Established a crisis center for victims at risk;
Provided residential care; Provided medical and transportation assistance; Assisted in the filing of the case; and Provided
rehabilitation assistance.
On Problem 3. Both PNP desk officers and Social workers commonly ranked the sex violence cases existing in the Caraga
region. Rape cases got the 1st rank, incestuous rape got the 2nd rank and sexual harassment got the 3rd rank. Thus, rape was
considered a “highly prevalent” case, followed by incestuous rape as “prevalent “and sexual harassment as a “less prevalent”
case. On official crime statistics, the same ranking existed;
On Problem 4.1. The PNP Desk officers pointed out the preventive measures implemented by the Philippine National Police in
the Caraga region: 1) Strengthened the information drive by regularly conducting lectures to women and children about the
laws protecting them; 2) Did home and barangay visitations all the time; 3) Conducted school to school information drive
through symposium; 4) Conducted dialogues and educate the public about some rape preventive tips; 5) Conducted several
training for the Barangay officials on how to handle the victims of sexual violence; 6) Conducted mobile patrol regularly; 7)

©2024, Cognizance Journal, ZAIN Publications, Fridhemsgatan 62, 112 46, Stockholm, Sweden, All Rights Reserved 225
 cognizancejournal.com
Anelyn Altamero Weis, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.4, Issue.12, December 2024, pg. 213-227
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843
Index Copernicus Value (ICV) = 77.57

Provided hotline number to every Barangay to report cases on sexual violence;

4.2 The Social Welfare and Development implemented the following preventive measures in the Caraga region:
1) Conducted responsible parenthood seminars and information drives about sexual violence;
2) Conducted seminars on gender-based violence;
3) Intensified the information education campaign to students through symposium;
4) Conducted several training on how to detect sexual abuses;
5) Strengthened the advocacy on the protection of the rights of women and children;
6) Mobilized the ERPAT program; and
7) Strengthened the functionality of BCPC.

Both the PNP and DSWD or even other agencies having advocacies on the rights and protection of women and children did
their part in the resolution of sexual violence. However, sexual violence cases in the society significantly increased among
the minor age victims. Basing the findings and the official recorded statistics on sexual violence, it is highly convincing to
conclude that sexual violence is a serious problem in the Caraga region that could have lasting dangerous outcomes for
victims, their families, friends, and communities. The solutions are just as complex as the problem thus everybody must be
part of the big solutions.
Based on the findings and conclusion, the following recommendations are offered (patterned from the National Centre for
Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention program):
1. Promote social rules that protect against sexual violence by engaging and mobilizing the youth and adult males as allies. Let
them be part of the front liners in the various advocacy campaigns for massive social awareness;
2. Teach skills among women and children to prevent sexual violence through social-emotional learning sessions; Teach healthy
dating and intimate relationship skills to adolescents; Promote healthy sexuality; and Empowerment-based training;
3. Provide opportunities to empower and support women and children by strengthening economic support for women and
families and strengthening leadership and opportunities for the children;
4. Create protective environments through improving safety and monitoring in schools; establishing and consistently applying
workplace policies and addressing community-level risks through environmental safety approaches and providing basic
self-defense skills;
5. Support victims/survivors to lessen harm through victim-centered services; treatment for victims of sexual violence; and
treatment for at-risk children and families to prevent problem behavior including sex offending. Strengthened and mobilized
the ERPAT program as well as the functionality of BCPC; and
6. Establish a mobile “Sexual Violence Victim Centers” where the communication access is strong to monitor and rescue
sexually abused victims in the locality.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The researcher would like to extend her heartfelt gratitude to the following individuals for their assistance and moral support
in the completion of this study: The Dean, Faculty, and Staff of Cagayan De Oro College, Criminal Justice Education
Department (Criminology) for the intellectual and professional support by sharing with me their knowledge and expertise in
the preparation of this work; Dr. Manuelito T. Dabalos for his utmost generosity in sharing with me her valuable time and
professional knowledge in the completion of this study; Dr. Gerry J. Caño and Dr. Manuel V. Jaudian for their
encouragement, support and invaluable suggestions to make this study possible; The PNP personnel from Police Regional

©2024, Cognizance Journal, ZAIN Publications, Fridhemsgatan 62, 112 46, Stockholm, Sweden, All Rights Reserved 226
 cognizancejournal.com
Anelyn Altamero Weis, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.4, Issue.12, December 2024, pg. 213-227
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843
Index Copernicus Value (ICV) = 77.57

Office 13 under the leadership of PBGEN GILBERTO DC CRUZ, Regional Director who provided data necessary for this
study; My Hybrid Classmates most especially to our Class President Ferdinand T. Martinez for their guidance and sharing of
information to make this study possible; My always supportive husband Roland E. Weis for pushing my limit to make this
happen; and Above all to our Almighty Father for the wisdom and in making this study a reality.

REFERENCES
1. Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004, Republic Act No. 9262, § 5(e)(1) (Mar. 8, 2004) (Phil.),
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2004/03/08/republic-act-no-9262-s-2004.
2. Bernate, et al., (2018) Violence against Women in the Philippines. Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 6, No. 1,
February 2018 117 P- ISSN 2350-7756 | E-ISSN 2350-8442
3. Breiding, Reza, Gulaid, et al. (2011) Risk factors associated with sexual violence towards girls in Swaziland, Bulletin of the World
Health Organization
4. Cockram, J. (2013). Silent voices: women with disabilities and family and domestic violence. Nedlands.
5. Heise, L., Ellsberg, M., & Gottmoeller, M. (2014). A global overview of gender-based violence. International Journal of Gynecology
and Obstetrics.
6. James R. Vanderwoerd, James (2017), Sexual Violence on Religious Campuses Canadian Journal of Higher Education Revue Volume
47, No. 2,
7. Krug, Dahlberg, Mercy, Zwi, and Lozano, (2015), World Report on Violence and Health, World Health Organization Geneva.
8. Larsen, M, ML, Hilden, M, Lidegaard (2014), Sexual assault: a descriptive study of 2500 female victims over a 10‐year period.
Retrieved from https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1471-0528.13093
9. Ong, J. S. (2013). Antisocial Behavior on School Violence: Prevalence, Correlates and Predictors Among High School Students of
Selected PublicSchools in Batangas City. Manila: University of Santo Tomas. Cited in: UNICEF (in press).
10. Overlien, C. (2016), “Children exposed to domestic violence: Conclusions from the literature and challenges ahead” Journal of Social
Work, 10, 80-97.
11. Olotaroff, J. L., & Pande, R. P. (2014). Non-Intimate Partner Domestic Violence Among Married Women. InJ. L. Pande, Violence
against Women and Girls: Lessons from South Asia (p. 85). Publishing and Knowledge Division, The World Bank.
12. Parreñas, R. S. (2015). Long distance intimacy: class, gender and intergenerational relations between mothers and children in Filipino
transnational families. Global Networks, 5(4), 317–336. DOI: 10.1111/j.1471- 0374.2005.00122.x Cited in UNICEF (in press).
13. Siddique JA, (2016) Age, Marital Status, and Risk of Sexual Victimization: Similarities and Differences Across Victim-Offender
Relationships. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25846759
14. Yuan, N. P., Koss, M. P., Polacca, M., & Goldman, D. (2006). Risk factors for physical assault and rape among six Native American
tribes. Journal of interpersonal violence, 21(12), 1566–1590. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260506294239
15. Futures Without Violence. (2013). Perpetrator Risk Factors for Violence against Women. Retrieved January 26, 2017, from
https://goo.gl/5tKkfW
16. World Health Organization (WHO), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (2014). Preventing intimate partner and
sexual violence against women. Taking action and generating evidence. Geneva: World Health Organization)
17. PLAN Philippines. Understanding Child Discipline and Child Abuse (2016). Comparing Perspectives of Parents, Children,
Professionals, and Community Leaders.
18. Project Report Plested, B. A., Edwards, R. W., & Jumper-Thurman, P. (2015). Community Readiness: A handbook for successful
change. Fort Collins, CO: Tri-Ethnic Center for Prevention Research.
19. POPCOM (2013). Pinoy Youth: Making Choices, Building Voices, Manila, Philippines: Commission on Population.
20. Population, families and household statistics | Philippine Commission May 13, 2014. Ramiro LS retrieved
fromwww.pcw.gov.ph/statistics/.../population- families-and-household-statistic.
21. Physical Intimacy and Sexual Coercion Among Adolescent Intimate Partners in the Philippines (2014). Journal of Adolescent
Research, 20 (4), 476-496.
22. Defining Gender-Based Violence. (2013). Retrieved from Strengthening Health System Responses to Gender-based Violence in
Eastern Europe and Central Asia: https://goo.gl/1THzYu
23. End VAW 2022 Campaign. Retrieved on February 29, 2024, https://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/infographics/%28ons-
cleared%29_End%20VAW%202022%20Campaign%20-1_ONS-signed.pdf
24. Facts about the Philippines. Retrieved June 14, 2011. Retrieved from www. philippinedomain.com/philippine-facts.htm
25. Center for Disease Control. (2024, January 23). About sexual violence. Sexual Violence Prevention.https://www.cdc.gov/sexual-
violence/about/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/sexualviolence/index.html
26. Philippine Commission on Women. (n.d.). Violence against Women. https://pcw.gov.ph/violence-against-
women/#:~:text=As%20of%202021%2C%20there%20were,%E2%80%9Cgender%2Dbased%20violence.%E2%80%9D

©2024, Cognizance Journal, ZAIN Publications, Fridhemsgatan 62, 112 46, Stockholm, Sweden, All Rights Reserved 227