UN group asks more Metro Manila mayors to stop sexual harassment

June 15, 2017

Quezon City and the United Nations Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific invited other local government units in Metro Manila to join the” Urban Safety and Protection of Women and Girls from Sexual Harassment and Violence in Public Spaces” program on Thursday. “It’s about time that we pay attention to it (sexual harassment) not just as UN Women but as implementer in government. That is what we are emphasizing in this conference that it is a governance issue, especially in the Philippines with a strong local government code we want to work very closely with local government units” said Katherine Belen, technical consultant of United Nations Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. According to various research,  three out of five women have experienced sexual harassment once in their lifetime while one out of seven experienced it at least once a week, Belen said. Quezon City  is one of the 26 cities around the world who joined the “Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces”, said Olivia Cantor, UN Women’s media public relation officer. Belen said 12 out of the 16 cities in Metro Manila attended the event, including Caloocan, San Juan, Manila, Paranaque, Makati, Pasig, Pateros and Las Pinas. “I’m confident people who have interest in the issue and cities that have shown commitment by sending their focal persons here will be working closely with Quezon City government and UN Women to try to see what are the first steps in implementing safe cities program in their own localities”, she said. Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista said there were 12 cases of sexual harassment reported in the city and two cases are being heard in court. Senator Risa Hontiveros slammed government officials who “make off-hand references to a woman’s legs”,” catcalling women reporters in a middle of a press conference” and “a head of state who treat rapes as a laughing matter. “ “I just like to also stress that as a matter not only governance but also principle we cannot claim to ever create a city if the actions and words of our elected officials all over the cities make us feel unsafe” Hontiveros said. Hontiveros said she authored four bills to protect women. These are Senate Bill 1250 which expands definition of sexual harassment and Senate Bill 1251 which is about gender-based electronic violence. Senate Bill 1252 refers to strengthening the Anti-Rape Bill and Senate Bill 1326 is for  safe spaces penalizing cat calling, wolf whistling and such acts, she said. Alanna Ambi/DMS