IKAW Summit ‘19: Eliminating crime, violence against women

What are specific and practical next steps that can be initiated to reduce, if not eliminate crime and violence against women? This was the question raised in the culmination of the Anti-Crime Summit IKAW (Ihinto Krimen Against Women).

The Summit’s 600 attendees formulated and submitted resolutions and action steps. The goal is to help guide government and civil society with action points to stop crime against women and crime in general.

Three Resolutions where asked in each of these areas: Legislation; Enforcement; Communications; Ethics and Values; Economics; Culture and Sports; Family and Marriage. The 21 IKAW Resolutions are as follows:

Cluster 1: Legislative – Executive

1. Complaint handling support with VACC, re victims:
2. Financial Assistance
3. Housing (Barangay Protection Order)
4. Psychological / Emotional Support
5. Legal amendment on Concubinage / Adultery
6. Scandalous Circumstance (Sexual Intercourse with woman not his wife)
7. Conjugal Dwelling
8. Cohabit in any other place
9. Barangay Level: Award Giving Body in Recognition of Exemplary Women in Barangays

Cluster 2: Enforcement

1. Strengthen support for diversion programs under RA 9344 as amended by RA 10630 (DILG, Prosec, DOJ, PNP, DSWD, NGOs)
2. Recruit volunteers as support family in the diversion programs from the community to conduct financial literacy, seminars, skills, training, etc.

• Institutionalize community involvement as volunteerism, programs, with barangay budget allocation

Cluster 3: Ethics and Values

1. Full protection to our children by reviewing the provisions of RA 7610 and Value.
2. Push the amendment on lowering the age of criminal liability.

• Intensify values education in Elementary and Secondary Levels.

3. Parents will be more knowledgeable supported by seminars and training so the children will be more guided and morally upright.
4. Lessen out-of-school youth in the community (monitoring of children by house to house visit of Barangay Officials)
5. Empower spouses as to their parental responsibilities (provisions of livelihood / capacitate the spouses)
6. Creation of free child care centers for working moms.

Cluster 4: Economics

1. Prosper and Flourish thru Gulayan sa Barangay
2. Livelihood with the help of TESDA, NEDA, CHED, DOST, D.A., DILG, TWTH

• Composting
• Recycling
• Organic Farming
• Basket weaving

3. Sustainable Education

• Locavores
• Local foods
• Solar pumping irrigation

4. Financial literacy
5. Using idle lands (one hectare per barangay)
6. Online marketing

• Social Media promotion
• Work home base

7. Resource and waste management

• Trash / bottles
• Water lily
• Coconut husk
• Seeds / heirloom species

Cluster 5: Culture and Sports

1. Mainstream in the academe and organized groups the culture of peace through a standard education program for tertiary education.
2. League of Barangays to monitor

• Conducting seminars and sports fest to involve the youth to use their abilities in sports and cultural activities rather than committing crime
• Develop / strengthen Barangay Ugnayan to discuss the rights of women and children – using data on VACC prevalence

3. Require inter-agency task force focusing on cultural and sports activities to include VACC theme and used C&S to lower crime rates.

Cluster 6: Communications

1. Create a law mandating the LGU’s and the private sector to conduct awareness program regarding responsible social media usage.
2. Create a committee tasked to monitor compliance of the awareness program
3. Provide / impose corresponding sanctions for non-compliance of the law creating awareness program on responsible use of social media.

• Create cybercrime units in every LGU.

Cluster 7: Family and Marriage

1. Adopt the “Me Too” movement of the U.S. with regards to exposure of sexual harassment and be penalized for it
2. Amend the RA 9262 when it comes to adultery and concubinage with corresponding penalty.
3. Mentoring of “men to men”

The Anti-Crime Summit, IKAW (Ihinto Krimen Against Women was held on April 23, 2019 at the Manila Hotel. The Summit was organized by the Public Attorney’s Office, PAO, and the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, VACC and supported by the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission, Department of Interior and Local Government, Rotary International District 3830, and the Way to Happiness Philippines Foundation.

Jorge “Jerry” Perez de Tagle, lives in the US and the Philippines, is an author and change management consultant for the private and public sector. He taught at Syracuse University, New York and has his PhD in Social Change, Honoris Causa, and is a PhD Candidate in Organization Development. He was one of the 10 Outstanding Entrepreneurs in 2009 and is now the National Chairman of The Way To Happiness Philippines Foundation, and is the Vice President for Global Outreach with the US Federation of Philippine American Chamber of Commerce.