Philippines Reaffirms Commitment to Ending Gender-Based Violence, Highlights Track Record on Women Advocacy

Ambassador Evangelina A. Bernas, Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations, speaks as a panelist at the Joint CND-CCPCJ Event to Commemorate the International Day for the Elimination Of Violence Against Women and Thirty Years of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action held at the Vienna International Center on 22 November 2024 (Photo Credit:Mr. Robert Detoyato)

VIENNA 28 November 2024 – The Philippines reaffirmed its enduring commitment to end gender-based violence and highlighted its track-record in gender equality and women empowerment at a high-level event at the Vienna International Center, commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the 30th Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

As a panelist, Ambassador and Permanent Representative Evangelina A. Bernas stated that gender equality and women empowerment is rooted in the Philippines’ heritage, achieving notable progress in safeguarding women's rights and protecting them from violence through the country’s laws.

“Through the decades, the Philippines passed landmark legislation to combat violence against women, including anti-sexual harassment, anti-rape, anti-trafficking in persons, anti-violence against women and children, and the Magna Carta on Women,” said Amb. Bernas.

Ambassador Bernas noted, however, that gender equality remains unfinished all over the world. She said, “While these policies and laws provide a robust legal framework for protecting women in the Philippines, violence against women still persists. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, in 2022 17.5% of Filipino women aged 15-49 experienced some form of physical, sexual, and emotional violence from their intimate partners.” 

She also outlined the Philippines’ gender-focused protection for overseas Filipino workers as well as how all Philippine government agencies allocate a minimum five percent of their budgets for gender and women’s development programs. 

The high-level dialogue was jointly organized by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and attended by Austria’s Minister for Women and Integration Susanne Raab and UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly. END

From left to right: Austrian Federal Minister for Women and Integration Susanne Raab, UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly, CCPCJ Chair Ambassador Ivo Šrámek of Czechia, CND Chair Philbert Abaka JOHNSON of Ghana and Ms. Jo Dedeyne-Amann, Chief, Secretariat to the Governing Bodies of UNODC. Photo Credit:Mr. Robert Detoyato

Photo Credit: PH Permanent Mission in Vienna

For more information, visit https://www.viennape.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippine-embassy.at  or https://www.facebook.com/PHinAustria/,  https://www.twitter.com/PHLinAustria  or https://www.instagram.com/phinaustria/