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CEDAW Features Philippines : NCR - Luzon - Visayas - Mindanao It starts in the Mind Poverty and an unhappy marriage condemn women to misery for their entire life. Despite the presence of international laws like CEDAW and local and national laws that promote their rights and welfare, it is ultimately the woman’s choice, whether or not to liberate herself from misery. REBIRTH Part I - Perhaps the only way to get out of any nasty relationship is just that. Get out and fast. “I should have been more sensitive to the signs of a relationship that would not last very long, but I stayed in it.” A victim of economic and emotional violence early on in the marriage, 36 year old Arlene soon saw a more violent side of Resty, the man she married fifteen years ago. Her fears turned into determination after the last shouting bout when her drunk husband told her to leave their rented home. For now, still fighting her battles, Arlene already feels triumphant to have stood up for her choice, knowing that she can make it on her own. She is well on her way…to her Rebirth.
The legal battle could get ugly. Like having your dirty laundry brought out in public, according to the lady lawyer. The process in the Church is even more thorough, “more detailed as the Catholic Church stands pat on the saving of a marriage rather than simply severing ties.” Since her legal and church battle with Resty began, Arlene has experienced a Rebirth.
Testing strength of new law on violence against women and children Three women, two of them battered by their husbands, while another survived rape, sought refuge under a new law, Republic Act 9262, better known as the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act, signed into law on March 8, 2004. One of the features of this law is the protection order, which can be given from the barangay level, or all the way up to the court level. The new law needs to be explained both to those whom the law protects, and the implementors of the law, especially in the light of the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which further reinforces the protection of women's rights under the law 1,028 words Women’s Groups Hammer Out Gender Code Gender advocates and experts in Iloilo City have been helping draft the proposed gender and development code that aims to address women’s concerns and ensure the equality of -women and men in employment opportunities and role in development. The Cruel Rules of Romance The story of Arlinda Gomez is a story true to countless women. It is a story of discrimination threading through even the day to day lives of women in their pursuit of their most basic human rights and fundamental freedoms, a story of “cruel rules” which, though unwritten, dictate the moral conduct of women. Arlie became a single parent to her 3 children after her marriage fell apart. No laurels or medals are given for raising and supporting her 3 children on her own from her teaching job, with no help from her estranged husband. This was expected of her. She was still a failure by standards set by society – a wife with children and a husband in a home of their own. And when Melchor, also a teacher, came into her life, and she dared to fill the void and loneliness, she was subjected to disciplinary actions in her job. But not Melchor. The rules, of course, are not as cruel for the men. “If I were a widow now, I’d have a life,” Arlinda noted. 1,255 words
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