Philippine Army partners with civil groups, NGO to fight abuses and violence against women

Jane Bernardo, CSO Forum president, listens to Colonel Benito de Leon during the consultation on the elimination of violence against women in Iligan City on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008.

ILIGAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 26, 2008) - “Sexual violence is outlawed in the Armed Forces of the Philippines even in times of war or armed conflict”.

This was the message of Army Col. Benito de Leon, commander of 104th Infantry Brigade, speaking during the “Observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women” held in Iligan City by the Gender Equality Network for Peace (GEN4PEACE) in cooperation with the Civil Society Organization (CSO) Forum for Peace and the British Embassy.
The activity was organized in consonance with UN Security Council Resolution No. 1820 covering the issues on rape and sexual violence in conflict situations. Adopting the theme “Women, Peace, and Security: Issues of Rape and other Forms of Sexual Abuse in Times of War,” the consultation was attended by the delegates from the 13 NGO-member groups of the CSO Forum with its president, Jane Bernardo, and participated in by the military and police.

Commissioner Anita Sescon, of the Mindanao Commission on Women Forum, provided the inputs for the UN Resolution. On the other hand, lawyer Florante Ursua, of the Commission on Human Rights, spoke on the responsibility of the government to prevent human rights violations.

In responding to concerns that women have been portrayed as a booty of war and that the incidence of sexual molestations were high during times of armed conflicts, De Leon explained that the notion of war booties were things of the past long gone by. “As societies became more civil, laws and norms were adopted to forbid this practice. The military, aside from the existing criminal laws, enforces the punitive Articles of War governing the conduct of military personnel,” he said.

Furthermore, De Leon also clarified that other measures are in place to ensure that members of the military observe the prohibitions as provided in our legal system including the adoption of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Code of Ethics outlining the professional conduct, the inclusion of all these as discussion points in military education courses, and the regular conduct of troop information.

“Commanders at all levels have to see that these are all observed and enforced. All abuses or violations of the law, including rape or violence on women, committed by any military personnel at any given time especially during times of conflict will not be tolerated by the AFP,” he said. (With a report from Merlyn Manos)