In celebration of the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence against Women, the university’s Gender and Development Resource conducted a webinar entitled Bawal ang Bastos: A Webinar on the Law and IRR of the Safe Spaces Act (RA 11313) on November 28, 2022, via Zoom video conferencing and Facebook Live. The webinar aims to help the Cavite State University Community attain a VAW-free community and at the same time identify measures to respond to the needs of victims/survivors of such abuses.
University President and GAD Champion, Dr. Hernando D. Robles delivered the opening message, after which, Mr. Gian Carlo R. Sison, GADRC Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant presented the Program Flow, Objectives of the activity, and House Rules.
Dr. Maria Helen F. Dayo, Anthropologist and GAD Expert of the University of the Philippines- Center for Women’s Studies Foundation Inc. discussed the Bawal Bastos Law: Safe Spaces Act (R.A. No. 11313) and the four (4) types of Sexual Harassment penalized under Safe Spaces Act: Gender-based Streets and Public Spaces Sexual Harassment, Gender-based Online Sexual Harassment, Gender-based Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, and Gender-based Sexual Harassment in Educational and Training Institutions. She further defined gender-based sexual harassment in public places as any unwelcome and unsolicited sexual acts or words directed at any individual that includes catcalling, persistent unsolicited comments or gestures about a person’s looks and others.
Following the discussion, VP Ma. Agnes P. Nuestro, VP Melbourne R. Talactac, VP Camilo A. Polinga, VP Mary Jane D. Tepora, and VP Lolita G. Herrera, expressed their commitment to putting an end to violence against women.
Dr. Florindo C. Ilagan, Director of Human Resources and Development Office delivered the closing message and expressed his gratitude to the resource speaker for her extremely educational discussion. Before he ended his message, he left a quote from Henry Ford stating, “Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, and working together is success.” (MDPAlmarez)
