About the author- litigation lawyer in telecoms, taxation, criminal, labor, appellate, family law and corporate; a radio broadcaster, speaker, author a husband, a father, advocate for consumers, for justice www.angkapatiran.org and a sinner who wants to
be a saint. hilman1108@yahoo.com
The Gender Justice Awards: An advocacy strategy
For judicial reform
By: Rowena V. Guanzon , LLB, MPA
Introduction
Many women who suffer violence often do not file cases against their abusers mainly due to their lack of resources for litigation, lack of education, a support system, and the perceived unreliability of the justice system. The court process, which is lengthy and expensive, intimidates women, the poor and marginalized groups. Judges who have no gender awareness and sensitivity compounds the problem of women’s lack of equal access to the courts. Women see courts as “unreliable” in understanding their plight and as an institution that can render justice; hence many are discouraged from seeking redress in the courts.
Many judges and prosecutors continue to perpetuate the misconceptions and biases against women in their decisions, which is largely a product of a patriarchal judicial system and Philippine society. Cases are lost because of the inability of judges and prosecutors to understand the situation of women, their lack of gender awareness and lack of appreciation of unequal relations of power between men and women within relations. Many judges and prosecutors continue to use gender stereotyping of roles of women and prevailing misconceptions about rape and other forms of sexual violence. This problem can be solved in part through the education of women on their human rights and the training of lawyers who can render free or affordable legal aid, but more significant results can be achieved through education and raising the awareness of judges and prosecutors on violence against women and girl-children.
The 1st Gender Justice Awards
As part of the global effort to eliminate violence against women (VAW), the University of the Philippines Center for Women’s Studies, the U.P. Center for Women’s Studies Foundation, Inc., and the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women, supported by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (Unifem-East Southeast Asia), launched the Gender Justice Awards (“ The Awards)” last August 8, 2003.
The Gender Justice Awards is an advocacy strategy for judicial reform. With the aim of engendering the courts, the Awards highlights the need for judges to be gender-sensitive and gender-responsive in the conduct of their duties. Although it is an initiative TO UPGRADE THE QUALITY of court decisions in violence against women cases.
The first of its kind in the Philippines, The Awards was cited by Dr. Patricia Licuanan, President of Miriam College and member of the Philippine Delegation as an example of best practice in the Inter-governmental Meeting on the Beijing Plus 10 Platform in Bangkok on September 9, 2004. Dr. Licuanan emphasized the partnership of government and non-governmental organizations, women’s rights and children’s rights advocates, lawyers groups, media and business in making The Awards a success.
Atty Rowena Guanzon thought of this gender sensitive awards. We should listen to what the clinical psychologists and psychiatrists say as to understand the various reactions of victims of violence.
We congratulate all the awardees.
