Updated Handbook on Philippine Legislation for Women and Children

CWEARC first published the handbook on women’s laws in 2006. Since then, new laws for the protection of women and children in the Philippines were passed in Congress and enacted. We owe it to the vibrant women’s movement in the Philippines that these laws were enacted, and we also owe it to our champions in Congress for making sure that the house bills were fought for, until these were eventually passed.

In our engagement with communities, education on violence against women and the laws for the protection of women and children remain vital and relevant. The conversations and discussions we had with the women and their communities demonstrated the continuing need to facilitate empowerment on women’s rights, particularly laws for women. Similarly, we encountered persistent challenges, such as prevailing norms on VAW (Violence Against Women) and rape. It is therefore of utmost significance that knowledge of the laws for women and children, as well as the services and remedies available to them, be urgently disseminated. At the same time, it is important to strengthen the existing laws -- it is in this regard that we are including in this handbook highly relevant policy recommendations by distinguished bodies on women’s rights.

This handbook is intended for women’s organizations wherever, local government units especially at the barangay level, educators and advocates who tirelessly fight for women’s rights, particularly working for women’s access to justice and eliminating barriers to accessing justice.