Batapa urges brgy leaders to help in anti-VAWC drive
BACOLOD CITY -- Sangguniang Panglungsod Member Jocelle Batapa-Sigue yesterday passed a resolution requesting and encouraging all 61 barangays in the city to give importance to the campaign against violence on women and children.
In her resolution, she encouraged all barangay leaders to undertake education program on Republic Act No. 9262 otherwise known as "An act defining violence against women and their children, providing for protective measures for victims, prescribing penalties therefore, and for other purposes".
Batapa, being the chairperson of the committee on women and gender, believes that the high incident rate of violence against women and children will drastically drop in the City of Bacolod, if all barangay leaders adopt a family violence prevention program including peer counseling for men.
She suggested for the establishment of anti-VAWC desk officer in the barangay who shall coordinate a one-stop help desk and as much as possible this help desk shall be open for 24 hours. Aside from this, she wants that all barangay officials will ensure that their officials, health workers, barangay nutrition scholars along with barangay workers and tanod or barangay security officers undergo gender sensitivity seminars to unable them to respond to victims of violence.
Batapa also encouraged that barangay officials shall strictly observe the following steps in handling violence against women and children cases at the barangay level. She further emphasized that upon being informed of an act of VAWC, the barangay officials shall immediately verify the information, if necessary, said official shall seek the assistance of the police, then respond immediately to a call for help or request for assistance or protection of the victim-survivor by entering the dwelling whether or not a protection order has been issued and ensure the safety of the victim-survivors.
She also said that all records pertaining to cases of violence against women and children including those in the barangay shall be confidential, and all public officers and employees and public or private clinics or hospitals shall respect the rights to privacy of the victim-survivors.