The 20th Congress of the Philippines and Its Efforts Against Gender-Based Violence By: Shreya Menon, Alternatives Intern at FMA The 20th Congress of the Philippines, which commenced on July 28 2025, has introduced several legislative proposals aimed at addressing gender-based violence (GBV) in both …
“Hey Friend”: Standing with Survivors of Online Abuse Digital spaces are essential for communication, self-expression, and connection, but they can also be unsafe, especially for women and gender-diverse people. Harassment, cyberstalking, and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images are some ex…
FMA Joins Women’s Groups Demanding Perpetrators’ Accountability on International Women’s Day 2026 The World March of Women – Pilipinas leaders filed an administrative and criminal complaint, based on several laws, against House Representative Jesus “Bong” Suntay after a series of sexually obje…
2025 Year-End Data Mapping on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) in the Philippines Gender-based violence remains a critical concern in the Philippines, affecting the safety, dignity, and rights of women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals. With the rapid expansion of digital te…
Love Month or Control Month? Confronting Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence February is the month of hearts, chocolates, and grand gestures of love. But for too many women and marginalized genders, it is also a stark reminder that love and intimacy in the digital age are not always safe. B…
TFGBV in 2026: A New Year, New Digital Threats to Women and Girls As the world enters 2026, technology continues to reshape how people communicate, work, and participate in public life. While digital tools have opened new opportunities for empowerment, they have also intensified Technology-Facilitat…
Image-Based Abuse in the Philippines: Why “Consent Matters” In the Philippines, sharing intimate photos or videos of a person without their permission – whether publicizing, distributing or threatening to expose them – is not only wrong, it’s also a crime. Unfortunately, many still do no…
KnowTheLaw: Protecting Women from Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence Knowledge is power and when it comes to countering Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV), understanding our rights is essential. On the 10th day of the nationwide 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women, we highl…
Women Human Rights Defenders in the Philippines Face Escalating Personal Attacks Online November 29 is International Women Human Rights Defenders Day to honor women human rights defenders (WHRDs) for their courage and commitment to upholding human rights. It acknowledges the vital role WHRDs play in…
Understanding TFGBV “Am I a victim of TFGBV? What even is TFGBV?” Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) is a new and necessary term that emerged in response to the rapid growth of technology and its harms on people’s lives. Over the years, digital rights advocates may have used terms …
Empowering Women in the Digital Age: 18 Days to End Violence Against Women November 25 – December 12, 2025 | Philippines Every click, post, and message shapes the way we connect in today’s digital world. But for many women and girls, the internet can also be a space of fear, […]
Statement on the DICT Cyberattack Warning: A Feminist Call for Digital Empowerment The Department of Information and Communications Technology – DICT has warned of possible cyberattacks on November 5, 2025, in the form of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) or “traffic flood” attacks. They ma…
Why Digital Security is a Feminist Issue for Women with Disabilities In today’s connected world, going online isn’t just a luxury but a lifeline. From messaging apps and social media to telehealth and education, digital tools help us work, connect, and express ourselves. But for many women wit…
Every time a woman logs into a digital platform, she brings with her not just her voice, but her vulnerability to visibility, to exposure, and sometimes, to violence. Technology has opened doors for connection, learning, and empowerment. But for many women, the same tools that connect us also become…
FMA Launches Dedicated Helpline Email for Survivors of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) on World Mental Health Day In observance of World Mental Health Day, the Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) proudly launches a new, dedicated helpline email tfgbv.helpline@proton.me offer…
Press freedom is a cornerstone of democracy, ensuring that journalists can report truthfully and hold power to account without fear of censorship or retaliation. In the Philippines, press freedom remains a critical issue, one increasingly under threat not only by direct intimidation but also through…
We live in a culture that thrives on visibility. Photos, livestreams, Reels, and TikToks are part of daily life – documenting joy, creativity, protest, even injustice. But amid this constant documentation, consent has become an afterthought. When someone films you without your permission, espe…
“I never used to think twice about what I posted online—until I saw someone like me get doxxed. Her address, phone number, even her family’s photos were spread by strangers just because she spoke out.”In today’s digital world, our personal information such as our names, locations, even the people we…
In recent years, trafficking in the Philippines has taken a disturbing turn as perpetrators use digital tools to recruit their victims. What was once happening mainly in remote brothels and through physical recruitment is now happening online, behind screens, under usernames, and in encrypted messag…
In a country where over 97 million individuals are connected to the internet, the digital platforms have become more than just tools for connection, they are now a vital part of everyday life. But beneath the ease and entertainment they offer lies a growing danger: sextortion, a disturbing and often…
Online gender-based violence (OGBV) refers to acts of harm, harassment, and discrimination that are perpetrated through or amplified by digital technologies and disproportionately impact women, LGBTQIA+ people, and other marginalized genders. As digital engagement grows in the Philippines, so …
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the Internet have transformed the lives of many Filipinos across the world. The advancement of these technologies revolutionized the way we socialize and transact business, but most especially, how we gather and receive information.&nbs…
As a global leader in social media usage, the Philippines’ environment of pervasive disinformation, paired with a culture of patriarchal gender constructs, foster democratic backsliding and authoritarianism (Kunze et al., 2021). With the country’s low level of media literacy, Filipino people a…
The Philippines has had a total of 17 presidents. Out of these, 15 have been men. For much of its history, men have led the government, perpetuating the stereotype that men should hold control. Recent election data shows that women only hold about 28% of seats in the House of […]
In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences examines violence against women and girls as a form, cause and consequence of prostitution. It is a breakthrough report that is harmonious with the UN Protocol on Trafficking 2000, the ACTI…
Violence against women and girls is an alarming issue that occurs within and beyond the online sphere. The rapid evolution of technology may often mean progress and convenience, but existing digital tools have also lent themselves to the proliferation of online gender-based violence (OGBV). Though …
The CEDAW Shadow Report: Duterte-Marcos Legacy to Marginalized Women (2023) highlights the experiences of women in the marginalized sectors–women with disability, women living with HIV/AIDS, women migrant workers, indigenous people (IP) women, and lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women (LBT) women…
The CEDAW Shadow Report: Voices, Choices, Participation and Access to Justice: Weaving the Girl Child’s Experience (2023) highlights the experiences of marginalized girls–indigenous girls, girls with disabilities, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LBT) girls and girls from rural communities–under a…
As technology continues to define the landscape of our everyday lives, it may also be used as an instrument to bring forth new forms of gender-based violence (GBV) and exacerbate existing inequalities experienced by and disproportionately affect women and girls. Technology-facilitated GBV is any act…
Gender-based violence facilitated by new technologies entails human rights violation against women and girls on a daily basis. Since 2012, the Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) has been observing a growing number of online gender-based violence cases. Online gender-based violence (OGBV) are “h…
The internet is one of the most powerful and enabling platforms for opportunity, sharing ideas and building community, but women and other vulnerable groups are too often threatened, silenced and censored because of having courage to speak out. Since 2012, the Foundation for Media Alternatives has b…
The Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) has been mapping media reports of online gender-based violence (OGBV) in the Philippines since 2012 through the Take Back the Tech! mapping platform. Over the years, these cases have shown trends and emerging manifestations of violence against women and gi…
Leaders and members of the World March of Women-Pilipinas, a network of organizations of women from the basic sectors and with different advocacies, kicked off the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, November 24, through a press conference followed by drums and protest performance at …
Women and girls’ increased vulnerability to violence also manifested online over the past year. This January 1 to June 23, 2021, FMA recorded 37 media-sourced reports of online gender-based violence (OGBV) with the use of an APC-hosted data mapping platform. While FMA found that the number of media …
As people turn to the internet for work, school, and social activities, existing inequalities are also revealed in how people access and experience digital spaces. Women still continue to face violence perpetrated with the use of information and communications technology (ICT), which shows how onlin…
Since 1991, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence has been held every year from November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW), to December 10, Human Rights Day. In the Philippines, the campaign runs until December 12. Proclamation No.…
Digital, mobile, and social media have become indispensable to Fiipinos’ every day lives. We are heavy engagers of online media, spending around four hours and 12 minutes on different social media platforms and ten hours and two minutes on being online. Now that the country is facing health crisis, …
Technology-related abuses in the Philippines makes online safety all the more paramount in securing a safe digital space for women, as reflected in Take Back the Tech Philippines’ 2019 report. From social media ‘trolls’ barbarizing women sharing dissent online and apps utilised to commodify women, m…
In light of recent comments made by public officials that treated sexual assault as a mere joke, rendering it “acceptable” and not worthy of condemnation, it is important for Filipinos to be cognizant about the gravity of gender-based violence. The current patriarchal and misogynistic culture perva…
Jane (not her real name), a 28-year-old woman, received a message from a certain “Peter San Pedro” on Facebook last January 31. He told her that he possesses some of her nude photos. Jane claimed that the man threatened to send those photos to her family and friends if she […]
These materials were produced by the Foundation for Media Alternatives from the Philippines as part of APC’s MDG3: Take Back the Tech! to end violence against women project. Attached below you can find useful materials for awareness raising and training on the subject of violence against women…
18 Days of Activism against Gender-based violence In the Philippines, the 18-day campaign to end violence against women is from November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to December 12, International Day against Trafficking. The campaign calls on everyone to t…
The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, chaired by Senator Risa Hontiveros, held its first Senate Public Hearing on the so-called Tres Maria bills – Anti-Rape Act, the Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill, and the Gender-Based Electronic Violence, on Decemb…
Did you know almost 74% of women, aged 18-30 and younger are more likely to experience online violence? And did you know that Facebook (28%) and mobile phones (23%) are the platforms where most violations were reported? Check out this infographic that draws on the 130 cases reported on the [……
BREAKING NEWS: The Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA), a non-government organization based in Quezon City is happy to announce that Aksyon VAW is now available on Appstore. FMA began in 2012 to map cases on technology-related violence against women (see Take Back The Tech Philippines) in order …
On February 23, 2016 the mobile application AksyonVAW made its debut in Google Playstore. But what is AksyonVAW all about? Aksyon is the Filipino word for action, and VAW stands for violence against women. The app AksyonVAW is a project of the Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA), a non-governme…
