International Women’s Day 2015 – Know your Rights

International Women’s Day is celebrated globally every year on March 8. It is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.

This year’s theme, “Empowering Women – Empowering Humanity: Picture It!” envisions a world where each woman and girl can exercise her choices, such as participating in politics, getting an education, having an income, and living in societies free from violence and discrimination.

Know your Rights.

Punishable Acts and the Penalties under R.A. 9262 (Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act)

Punishable Acts

Section 6. Public Crime. – Violence against women and their children shall be considered a public offense, which may be prosecuted upon the filing of a complaint by any citizen having personal knowledge of the circumstances involving the commission of the crime.

Section 7. Acts of Violence Against Women and Their Children. – The crime of violence against women and their children is committed through any of the following acts:

a) Causing physical harm to the woman or her child;
b) Threatening to cause the woman or her child physical harm;
c) Attempting to cause the woman or her child physical harm;
d) Placing the woman or her child in fear of imminent physical harm;
e) Attempting to compel or compelling the woman or her child to engage in conduct which the woman or her child has the right to desist from or to desist from conduct which the woman or her child has the right to engage in, or attempting to restrict or restricting the woman’s or her child’s freedom of movement or conduct by force or threat of force, physical or other harm or threat of physical or other harm, or intimidation directed against the woman or her child. This shall include, but not limited to, the following acts committed with the purpose or effect of controlling or restricting the woman’s or her child’s movement or conduct:

1. Threatening to deprive or actually depriving the woman or her child of custody or access to her/his family;
2. Depriving or threatening to deprive the woman or her children of financial support legally due her or her family, or deliberately providing the woman’s children insufficient financial support;
3. Depriving or threatening to deprive the woman or her child of a legal right;
4. Preventing the woman in engaging in any legitimate profession, occupation, business or activity, or controlling the victim’s own money or properties, or solely controlling the conjugal or common money, or properties;

f) Inflicting or threatening to inflict physical harm on oneself for the purpose of controlling her actions or decisions;
g) Causing or attempting to cause the woman or her child to engage in any sexual activity which does not constitute rape, by force or threat of force, physical harm, or through intimidation directed against the woman or her child or her/his immediate family;
h) Engaging in purposeful, knowing, or reckless conduct, personally or through another, that alarms or causes substantial emotional or psychological distress to the woman or her child. This shall include, but not be limited to the following acts:

1. Stalking or following the woman or her child in public or private places;
2 Peering in the window or lingering outside the residence of the woman or her child;
3 Entering or remaining in the dwelling or on the property of the woman or her child against her/his will;
4 Destroying the property and personal belongings or inflicting harm to animals or pets of the woman or her child;
5 Engaging in any form of harassment or violence; and

i) Causing mental or emotional anguish, public ridicule or humiliation to the woman or her child, including, but not limited to, repeated verbal and emotional abuse, and denial of financial support or custody of minor children or denial of access to the woman’s child/children.

PENALTIES

Section 8. Penalties – In relation to Sec. 7 hereof, the acts complained of are punishable with the provisions set forth in this Section:

a) Acts falling under Section 7(a) constituting attempted, frustrated or consummated parricide or murder or homicide shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of the Revised Penal Code. If these acts resulted in mutilation, it shall be punishable in accordance with the Revised Penal Code; those constituting serious physical injuries shall have the penalty of prision mayor; those constituting less serious physical injuries shall be punished by prision correctional; and those constituting slight physical injuries shall be punished by arresto mayor.
Acts falling under Section 7 (b) shall be punished by imprisonment of two (2) degrees lower than the prescribed penalty for the consummated crime as specified in the preceding paragraph but shall in no case be lower than arresto mayor.
b) Acts falling under Section 7(c) and 7(d) shall be punished by arresto mayor;
c) Acts falling under Section 7(e) shall be punished by prision correccional;
d) Acts falling under Section 7(f) shall be punished by arresto mayor;
e) Acts falling under Section 7(g) shall be punished by prision mayor;
f) Acts falling under Section 7(h) and Section 7(i) shall be punished by prision mayor.

If the acts are committed while the woman or child is pregnant or committed in the presence of her child, the penalty to be applied shall be the maximum period of penalty prescribed in this section.

In addition to imprisonment, the perpetrator shall (a) pay a fine in the amount of not less than One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00) but not more than Three hundred thousand pesos (P300, 000.00); and undergo mandatory psychological counseling or psychiatric treatment and shall report compliance to the court.