FMA submits report to UN special rapporteur on VAW

In June 2020, the Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) submitted a report to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, its Causes and Consequences, documenting how the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures affected women experiencing violence in the Philippines. The submission highlighted a critical reality: a public health crisis is never gender-neutral, and measures intended to keep people safe can create additional risks for women and girls.

Violence Behind Closed Doors

The Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) confined families to their homes, but home was not necessarily a safe place for everyone. Women experiencing domestic violence had fewer opportunities to seek help, while restrictions on transportation, limited finances, and quarantine requirements made it difficult for survivors to leave abusive households. FMA noted that the decline in reported cases during the early lockdown should not automatically be interpreted as a decline in violence, as women may have been unable to report or prioritize their own safety during a crisis.

By June 17, 2020, the Philippine National Police had recorded 2,246 cases of domestic violence against women since March 16. FMA also documented the increasing role of technology in gender-based violence: from January to June 24, 2020, it had already mapped 61 cases of online gender-based violence, compared with 49 cases for the whole of 2019. During the lockdown, reported forms included non-consensual sharing of photos and videos, blackmail, abusive comments, manipulation of personal data, and repeated harassment.

Technology: Both Risk and Lifeline

The submission emphasized that technology played a complicated role during the pandemic. As people became more dependent on the internet for communication, work, information, and support, digital spaces also became sites of harassment and abuse. At the same time, online platforms provided important lifelines for women who could not safely leave their homes, including online reporting systems, counseling services, helplines, health consultations, and information on where to seek assistance.

For FMA, this demonstrated why responses to violence must include digital rights, privacy, online safety, and access to technology alongside traditional support services.

Laws Are Not Enough Without Access

The Philippines already had laws protecting women from violence, including the Anti-VAWC Act, Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act, Cybercrime Prevention Act, Data Privacy Act, Safe Spaces Act, and Magna Carta of Women. However, the pandemic exposed gaps between legal protections and women's ability to actually access them. Reduced court operations, delays in protection orders, limited shelter capacity, and difficulties reaching health and support services created additional barriers for survivors.

FMA called for gender-responsive crisis measures, accessible hotlines and shelters, safe passage for women escaping abuse, uninterrupted reproductive health services, trained responders, stronger support for women's organizations, and better protection of survivors' privacy and anonymity. It also urged government and technology companies to work together to address online gender-based violence and ensure safer digital spaces.

Building Gender-Responsive Crisis Responses

FMA's 2020 submission remains a reminder that women's safety cannot be treated as secondary during emergencies. Crisis responses must account for the different ways violence happens—in homes, communities, institutions, and online—and ensure that women can access protection, justice, health care, technology, and support even during periods of disruption.

Ultimately, the submission calls for a response to crises that goes beyond containment and enforcement. Protecting women means ensuring that they can live, seek help, leave abusive situations, access essential services, and participate safely both offline and online.