Undoing patriarchy

A few months ago, I had the privilege of participating in two interactive dialogue sessions of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women on behalf of the Philippine government – the first was on Poverty Eradication, Social Protection and Social Services, while the second focused on Freedom from Violence, Stigma and Stereotypes.

- EMMELINE AGLIPAY-VILLAR

As inspiring and informative as they were, the sessions also served to drive home how much work there is yet to do for women to be safe and supported, to be treated as true equals and as fully human. The sessions highlighted many of the same age-old problems, such as the disproportionate burden of unpaid work handled by women, the "dependency trap" which undermines the voice and freedom of women and the need for greater inclusion of women in access to finances and government programs.

The most harrowing issue, however, continues to be how violence against women and girls continues to be one of the most pervasive human rights violations, and how rapid technological advancements, while in some ways empowering women, have also introduced new risks that individuals and governments are ill-prepared to deal with.

The Femicides in 2023 UN report, released on last year's International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, revealed that on average a woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by someone close to her.

The perpetrator frequently has a pattern of violence that the State ignored: in femicide cases where the victim had been subject to previous forms of violence, it was shown that in only seven percent of these cases had the perpetrator been issued a restraining order. The threats to the lives of these women were predictable, and that means their deaths were preventable, which makes those deaths all the more tragic - and the need for government action all the more imperative and urgent.

A woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by someone close to her.

The data is compelling and we must act now.