ADMITTEDLY, throughout recorded history, the “stellar role” played by women in society has ensured the stability, progress and long-term development of nations across the globe.
In the Philippines, it is heartening to know that the government, through concerned agencies, is committed to advance the interest of women and other “special sectors.”
The Filipino people, in fact, expect government authorities to deliver on their pro-women agenda by intensifying the nationwide campaign to end violence against women (VAW).
Leading this year’s multi-pronged and elaborately-orchestrated campaign is the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) headed by Secretary Silvestre “Bebot” H. Bello III.
Dubbed “Campaign to End Violence Against Women,” the annual 18-day undertaking started on November 25 and ends on December 12.
It was on this day in the year 2000, when the United Nations (UN) signed the “Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.”
A close associate of the late senator and Labor Secretary Blas F. Ople, Bello enjoined DOLE’s attached agencies, bureaus and regional offices to gather public support for the drive.
Bello said women may experience different forms of violence and harassment because of quarantine measures imposed by the government to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
And the implementation of these quarantine measures, he said, may have prevented victims from seeking help or reporting their ordeal to concerned government authorities.
Note that the DOLE has been cited by the Philippine Commission on Women as one of the most outstanding gender-responsive agencies and for championing the labor rights of women.
Through quiet work, the labor department, in cooperation with other concerned government agencies, makes sure that the needs and aspirations of the country’s women and girls are met.
