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VAWC cases in Iloilo City drop

ILOILO CITY, March 2 (PNA) -- Cases of violence against women and children (VAWC) in Iloilo City continue to decline in the past eight years, according to data gathered by the Bantay Abuso Project of this city.

Bantay Abuso is a community-based project initiated by the City Population Office (CPO) in coordination with the Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD) of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) and the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).

Since last quarter of 2008 until 2016, the project was able to monitor 607 cases. It peaked in 2015 with 106 and dropped to 98 in 2016.

These data came from barangay service point officers (BSPOs) based on their monitored cases from 73 of the city’s 180 barangays that were piloted for the project.

Population Program Officer III Rachel Lapascua on Thursday said that the highest form of abuse were physical and emotional with 282 and 197, respectively.

She revealed that amid the decline, the cases are “slightly alarming” because the abuse is still present.

“The monitored cases are minimal because not everyone who experiences violence at home is reporting,” she said. Others are ashamed or have other reasons for not coming out. Most of them also came from families with middle class to below average economic status.

Lapascua added that with the monitoring, proper intervention is also extended to the victims through the offices where the cases are being referred.

Starting this year, the monitoring of VAWC cases is now handled by the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO). They will already cover 180 barangays for their quarterly report to be submitted to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and furnished the CPO. (PNA)

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