PhilippineCommissiononWomen Policy Brief No.

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StrengtheningLawEnforcementandProtectionAgainstSexualOffenses: EXPANDINGTHEANTISEXUALHARASSMENTLAW

ThisPolicyBriefprovidestherationaleforexpandingthecoverageoftheAntiSexualHarassmentLaw.

WHAT IS THE ISSUE? Sexualharassment(SH)andotherformsofsexual violenceinpublicspacesisaneverydayoccurrencefor womenandgirlsaroundtheworldinurbanandrural areasinbothdevelopedanddevelopingcountries.1 Womenandgirlsaresexuallyharassed,instreets,in parksandplazas,inschools,inworkplaces,andwhile usingpublictransportation.2Itisasocialissuethatis deeplyrootedinpowerrelationsbetweenmenand women,andunderliestheviewthatwomenarestill deemedastheweakersex. Philippineculturehaslongtoleratedandeven encouragedsexualharassmentbyevenjokingabout it.3Manywomenwhoareafraidtolosetheirjobsor failasubjectinschooltendtobequietevenwhen theyareharassed. BeforethepassageofRepublicAct(RA)7877,also knownastheAntiSexualHarassmentActof1995, Philippinelaws,includingtheLaborCode,weresilent onsexualharassment.Womensubjectedtounwanted sexualadvancesintheworkplace,though,had recoursetolegalreliefbycitingotheroffensessuchas actsoflasciviousnessandslanderbydeed.4 TheAntiSHActof1995hasbeenconsidereda landmarklegislationasitfinallygaveanameandlegal recognitiontosuchunwelcomesexualadvances.The lawdefinesSexualHarassmentascommittedbyan employer,employee,manager,supervisor,agentofthe employer,teacher,instructor,professor,coach,trainor, oranyotherpersonwho,havingauthority,influenceor
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moralascendancyoveranotherinaworkortrainingor educationenvironment,demands,requestsor otherwiserequiresanysexualfavorfromtheother, regardlessofwhetherthedemand,requestor requirementforsubmissionisacceptedbytheobject. However,thedefinitionofsexualharassmentin RA7877islimiting.Itdoesnotspecificallyaddressthe issueof"hostileenvironment"(resultingfrom)sexual harassmentbetweenpeersorcoemployees.5Under thelaw,sexualharassmentpresupposestheexistence ofauthority,influenceormoralascendancybetween theoffenderandtheoffendedparty.Butinmany instances,boththeoffenderandtheoffendedparty arepeersorhavethesamerankorstatus,whilein somecases,theoffendedpartyhappenstobethe superiorofficer.Thesecircumstancescouldnotbe consideredassexualharassmentwithinthecontextof R.A.7877.
WHY IS THE ISSUE IMPORTANT? Whetherwalkingincitystreets,usingpublictransport, goingtoschool,orsellinggoodsatthemarket,women andgirlsaresubjecttothethreatofsexualharassment andviolence.Thisrealityofdailylifelimitswomens freedomtogetaneducation,towork,toparticipatein politicsortosimplyenjoytheirownneighborhoods. AccordingtotheCivilServiceCommission,atotalof 150casesofsexualharassmenthavebeenrecorded, from1994to2012,ofwhich101caseswereresolved, while20werereferredtotheagenciesinvolved.6Data onComplianceofHigherEducationalInstitutionswith RA7877showthatin2011,42complaintsfromState UniversitiesandColleges(SUCs)and49complaints fromPrivateHigherEducationInstitutions(HEIs)were

UNWOMEN(2013).SafePublicSpaceswithandforWomenand Girls.UNWOMEN. 2 Lambrick,M.andRaineroL.SafeCities.UNWOMEN.February 2010 3 Feliciano,MyrnaS.(1996).PhilippineLawonSexualHarassment intheWorkplace.PhilippineLawJournal 4 Yang,ElizabethandAbao,Carmel.SexualHarassmentinthe Philippines:DefiningtheIssue

Feliciano,MyrnaS.(1996).PhilippineLawonSexualHarassment intheWorkplace.PhilippineLawJournal 6 CivilServiceCommission.StatisticalDataonSexualHarassment Cases

EXPANDING THE ANTI-SEXUAL HARASSMENT LAW

PCWPolicyBrief No.10

August 2013

reportedtoCHED.7However,thenumberofcasesin theprivatesectorisdifficulttoaccountduetolackofa centralizedreportingsystem.Thesenumbersdonot completelyrepresentthesituationofsexual harassmentinthePhilippines,butshowthatitis happeningintheeducationalortraininginstitutions,in theworkplaceandeveninreligiousinstitutions.Many womendonotreportcasessimplybecauseofthe stigmathatstillexists,orbecausetheircasesdonot fallwithinthepurviewofthecurrentAntiSHlaw.
WHAT ARE THE EXISTING LAWS OR POLICY ISSUANCES RELATED TO THE ISSUE?

actsofsexualharassment)andtheir correspondingpenalties;and 4. directed allgovernmentofficesandagencies toformulatetheirownadministrativerules onsexualharassmentcases.Notably,the CSCRuleremovedtherequirementofthe lawthattheoffershouldbeonewith authority,influenceormoralascendancy overthevictimhenceitalsocoversSH amongpeers. WHAT ARE THE CONSIDERATIONS IN ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE IN THE COUNTRY?
Promoting womens rights and gender equality Expandingthedefinitionofsexualharassmentinthe Philippinesandstrengtheningthemechanismsthat willensurethatactsareprohibitedandpunished,will protectwomenfromallformsofdiscrimination. Creatingasexualharassmentfreesocietywillprovide effectiveprotectionforwomentoliveinfreedomand beempoweredinthesociety. Responding to International Commitments Sexualharassmentisaformofgenderbasedviolence, whichseriouslyinhibitswomen'sabilitytoenjoyrights andfreedomsonabasisofequalitywithmen.The PhilippineGovernmentasaMemberStateinthe CommissionontheStatusofWomenmustmake necessaryactionstoimplementtheagreed conclusionsduringthe57thSessioninMarch2013.The Commissionhasexpresseddeepconcernabout violenceagainstwomenandgirlsinpublicspaces, includingsexualharassment,especiallywhenitis beingusedtointimidatewomenandgirlswhoare exercisinganyoftheirhumanrightsandfundamental freedoms.ItcalledonStatestoincreasemeasuresto protectwomenandgirlsfromviolenceand harassment,includingsexualharassment. Alignment with National Priorities ExpandingtheAntiSexualHarassmentLawis consistentwithitem13onGenderEqualityofthe governments16PointAgendawhichstates,froma lackofconcernforgenderdisparitiesandshortfall,to thepromotionofequalgenderopportunityinall spheresofpublicpoliciesandprograms.

Section13oftheMagnaCartaofWomen(RA9710) providesforEqualAccessandEliminationof DiscriminationinEducation,Scholarships,and Training.Section16ofthelawsimplementingrules andregulationsmandatesconcernedagenciesto developprogramsandpoliciestopreventViolence AgainstWomen(VAW),includinginstitutional mechanismsforcomplaintsincasesofrape,sexual harassment,andotherformsofviolenceand discriminationagainstwomen,andprovideassistance tostudents,faculty,orpersonnelwhohavebeen victimsofVAW. TheCivilServiceCommission(CSC)promulgatedthe AdministrativeDisciplinaryRulesonSexual HarassmentCasesthroughResolutionNo.010940 datedMay21,2001.Amongotherthings,thispolicy enactmentoftheCSC: 1. tookintoaccountnotonlytheAntiSexual HarassmentLawof1995aslegalbasisbut alsothePhilippineConstitution,the AdministrativeCodeof1987aswellasthe ViennaDeclarationandProgrammeof ActionandtheBeijingDeclarationand PlatformforAction; 2. laiddowntheproceduralrulesgoverningthe handlinganddispositionofadministrative casesinvolvingsexualharassment; 3. specifiedthevariouscategoriesofsexual harassment(i.e.light,lessgraveandgrave
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YadaoSison,Carmelita.ComplianceofHigherEducation InstitutionswiththeAntiSexualHarassmentActof1995.

EXPANDING THE ANTI-SEXUAL HARASSMENT LAW

POLICY RECOMMENDATION ThePhilippineCommissiononWomen(PCW)pushes fortheenactmentofalawthatwillexpandtheAnti SexualHarassmentLawwiththefollowingsalient provisions:

1.

Expandingthescopeofactsconstituting sexualharassmentbyredefiningsexual harassmentas: a)anact,oraseriesofacts,either physicallyorverballyorwiththeuseof electronic,oravailabletechnologyorany othermeanscommittedinsideoroutside theplaceofemployment,trainingor education,whichincludesunwelcome, offensivebehaviorofasexualnaturethat hasorcouldhaveadetrimentaleffecton theconditionsofanindividuals employmentoreducationjob performanceoropportunities; b)aconductofasexualnatureandother conductbasedonsexaffectingthe dignityofaperson,whichisunwelcome, unreasonable,andoffensiveto the recipient;and

c)aconductthatcreatesanintimidating, hostileorhumiliatingworking,education ortrainingenvironmentfortherecipient 2. Includingpeertopeersexualharassment withinthedefinitionofthelaw;and 3. Strengtheningthemonitoringmechanism toensurethatpublicandprivateoffices createandoperationalizeaCommitteeon DecorumandInvestigation(CODI)tasked tohandlecasesonsexualharassment.
CONCLUSION Genderbasedviolenceisdeeplyrootedintheunequal relationsbetweenmenandwomen.TheStatehasthe obligationtoensurethatgenderbasedviolenceis eliminatedthrougheffectivelegislationsandpolicies forwomen.TheAntiSexualHarassmentLawhasbeen inplaceforalmost18yearsnow;itistimetoamend theprovisionsofthelawtostrengthenlaw enforcementandprotectionagainstsexualoffenses.

PCWPolicyBriefsaimtostimulateinformeddiscourseandguidepolicyactionsonissuesconcerningthe empowermentofwomenandpromotionofgenderequality.
OFFICEOFTHEPRESIDENT

PhilippineCommissiononWomen 1145J.P.LaurelStreet,SanMiguel,1005Manila http://www.pcw.gov.ph|pdad@pcw.gov.ph|+6327358918

EXPANDING THE ANTI-SEXUAL HARASSMENT LAW