QC gov’t eyes shelter, crisis hotline as abuse cases go up

MANILA, Philippines — In response to reported cases of violence against women and children in Quezon City during the quarantine period, the city government said it would build a protection shelter and activate a crisis helpline for victims.

Data from the Quezon City Gender and Development Office showed that there were 335 incident reports of violence against women and children from different barangays while Metro Manila was locked down.

The city government reopened last month its protection center at the Quezon City General Hospital to serve walk-in clients, particularly women, children and members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community, who had experienced violence and harassment.

According to President Duterte’s report to Congress last week, 3,699 cases of violence against women and children were recorded during the community quarantine period; 74 of which were reported to the Quezon City Police District.

“This pandemic has revealed to us the gaps that we need to address in terms of women and children violence,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said in a statement. “We have been getting reports of individuals who want to leave their homes but do not have anywhere else to go.”

A shelter or halfway house under the QC Protection Center would be put up to cater to them. A crisis helpline was also underway, as well as counseling and legal advice services through online platforms, she added.

The Center for Women’s Resources (CWR) said that aside from health issues brought by the pandemic, gender-based violence remained widespread in urban poor communities.

“But it cuts across classes, so when you’re trapped in conditions of isolation of lockdown with an abusive partner and you don’t have access to communication outside, it’s hard to ask for help if there are no mechanisms in place to address the abuse,” said CWR researcher Cham Perez.

According to Perez, some violence against women and children desks in villages failed to function even before the pandemic.

“Even with the numbers that we have, gender-based violence is grossly underreported because victims face difficulties in reporting their abuse,” she said.

“Data show that only 30 percent of victims of gender-based abuses or harassment report their cases, and we lack the mechanisms and services to address that,” she added.

The World Health Organization (WHO) earlier reported that incidents of violence against women have increased during the new coronavirus disease pandemic.

Aside from spending more time at home, rising stress, isolation from social support networks and limited access to critical services are also factors that lead to gender-based violence, it said.