By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

According to recent data by the Bacolod City Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD), the number of reported acts of violence against women and children in the city has gone down.

DSSD social worker Elizabeth Caumban said, between January and November of this year, they have recorded 1,007 such cases, a reduction from the 2,000 reported during the same period last year.

They noted, acts of violence against women and children include physical and verbal abuse, rape, among others.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Commission on Women recently held a screening of the film “Bagahe” in Bacolod City as part of their 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women. The screening was accompanied by a forum on gender-based violence, which gathered around 300 participants.

A press release on the event cited a 2017 Philippine Statistics Authority survey that found a quarter of women between the ages of 15 and 49, or 24.4 percent of the population, have experienced some form of physical, sexual or emotional violence committed by their husband or partner./DGB, WDJ