Reported cases of violence against women (VAW) in Negros Oriental dropped from 424 in 2024 to 295 this year, according to the Provincial Police Office.
Despite the decline, Police Captain Helen Grace Aldirete, chief of the Women and Children’s Protection Desk (WCPD), said interventions remain necessary. Police continue information and education campaigns in communities and schools through lectures and seminars.
Aldirete noted, however, that only 29 complaints were formally filed in court.
Most women choose not to pursue cases against their husbands or partners due to financial concerns and the need to provide for their families, she said in a Kapihan sa PIA multi-sectoral forum marking the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women.
Some VAW cases are also handled by the Gender Watch Against Violence and Exploitation (GWAVE), a non-government organization that provides legal assistance to women and girl victims of abuse.
GWAVE handles more than 200 VAW cases, about half of which involve domestic violence — including physical, psychological, sexual, and economic abuse — said Aidalyn Arabe, head of the organization’s legal assistance program.
Arabe said many survivors stay in abusive relationships because they depend on their partners financially.
“These women rely on their partners’ income because they stay at home to take care of the children. They fear leaving because they don’t know how they will feed their children or where they will live,” added Arabe.
Aside from legal representation, GWAVE provides psychosocial services, including counseling.
It also works with agencies to train women police officers, particularly in preparing legal documentation.
At the same forum, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), represented by Ava Sheryl Tan, said the agency ensures that local governments implement VAW-related laws, including Republic Act 9262, the Magna Carta of Women, and the establishment of VAW Desks as mandated under DILG Memorandum Circular 2010-12.
“We conduct trainings for barangay VAW Desk officers, LCAT-VAWC members, barangay officials, frontline responders, local government unit [LGU] GAD focal persons, Peace and Order Councils, and even men’s groups such as MOVE — Men Opposed to Violence Against Women Everywhere,” Tan said.
These trainings cover gender sensitivity, case management, referral mechanisms, data gathering and reporting, and survivor-centered approaches.
Tan emphasized that ending violence requires action beyond government offices.
“The fight to end VAW does not end in the office; it also ends within the family, community, online space, and in our culture. Only a united approach can dismantle the beliefs and behaviors that allow violence to persist,” she said.
She urged LGUs to fulfill their duty to protect women, barangays to maintain functional VAW Desks, frontliners to respond swiftly and compassionately, youth to engage in advocacy, men to serve as partners in prevention, and institutions to work together because “ending violence requires a movement.” (PIA-NIR Negros Oriental)