Rights in HER Hand

    Violence against women, whether physical, emotional, or sexual, is a painful reality that continues to affect women all around the world. These acts not only harm their bodies but also leave deep emotional scars, robbing them of their dignity, safety, and peace. Women deserve to live without fear, to walk freely in their communities, and to speak out without being silenced. It is good that the government has already established laws that protect women and create safe spaces for them. In the Philippines, RA 8353 (The Anti-Rape Law of 1997) and RA 11313 (The Safe Spaces Act of 2019) are just some of the important laws designed to protect women, uphold their rights, and provide justice in the face of violence and harassment.

    RA 8353, also known as The Anti-Rape Law of 1997, characterizes rape as a wrongdoing where an individual powers another individual to have sexual intercourse without their consent. This law broadens the definition of rape, saying that it isn't close to physical savagery but too approximately driving somebody into sex through dangers, fear, or control. The law too applies to distinctive circumstances, counting when the casualty is oblivious, inebriated, or rationally impaired, and it covers cases indeed when the culprit and casualty are in a relationship, such as marriage.

    This law helps women by making it clear that rape may be a genuine wrongdoing with serious punishments, counting long jail sentences. It too makes beyond any doubt that ladies, indeed in circumstances of vulnerability, are ensured from sexual manhandle. By reclassifying rape, the law guarantees that casualties have improved chance of looking for equity. It empowers ladies to report wrongdoings against them, knowing the law is on their side to assist battle sexual viciousness and ensure their rights.

    And the RA 11313, also known as The Safe Spaces Act, is a law that secures people, particularly women, from all shapes of gender-based sexual badgering in open spaces. This incorporates undesirable physical contact, verbal mishandle, and other shapes of badgering in places like lanes, parks, markets, and indeed online. The law covers both physical and online spaces, guaranteeing that ladies and LGBTQ+ people feel secure and respected wherever they go, without fear of being irritated or segregated against.

    The Safe Spaces Act makes a difference ladies by holding guilty parties responsible for their activities in open and online spaces. It gives security against catcalling, grabbing, and other shapes of badgering that numerous ladies encounter every day. The law moreover commands punishments for those who lock in in these hurtful behaviors and gives victims a safe way to report these episodes, knowing they will be taken genuinely. This law engages ladies to go almost their everyday lives with more certainty, because it cultivates an environment where their dignity and security are regarded. 

    But the fact that these laws exist is because these issues are really happening. If it weren't for women being violated, if there were no one violating their rights, we wouldn't have such laws. Despite this, we should abide by these laws and be knowledgeable about women's rights—about OUR rights—in order to reduce the number of women who are being undervalued every day. As a woman myself, I believe that we all deserve to live in an environment where our rights are respected, our voices are heard, and we can move freely without fear of violence or harassment. It is our responsibility to support and protect each other, and to ensure that these laws are not just written on paper but are actively enforced for the safety and dignity of all women.

References:

https://pcw.gov.ph/assets/files/2020/03/PCW-WPLA-PB-01-Amending-the-Anti-Rape-Law-AEB.pdf

https://chanrobles.com/republicactno8353.htm#google_vignette

https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2019/ra_11313_2019.html

https://wbec-west.com/empowered-women-empower-women/

https://images.app.goo.gl/WpZypkEhpxp1Yf6TA

https://images.app.goo.gl/dXPHYN7MJqXC6cCN8