In a move to strengthen protections for women and children, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Standards Bureau (SB) conducted an online orientation titled, “Safe Spaces: An Orientation on Filing or Reporting Violence Against Women and Their Children (VAWC) Cases” on March 24, 2026.

Coinciding with the 2026 National Women’s Month celebration, this initiative was led by the Bureau’s Gender and Development (GAD) focal persons and the Standards Monitoring and Enforcement Division (SMED) that aimed to bridge the gap between policy and practice, ensuring that personnel are expertly equipped to handle and refer sensitive cases of abuse.

Mr. Patrick Yeoj Peraz, Social Welfare Officer III from the Protective Services Bureau (PSB), served as the technical expert for the session highlighting the overview and forms of VAWC, liability, comprehensive guide on protection orders, amicable settlement, entry points, reporting, and referral pathway.

A central focus of the orientation was the comprehensive definition of VAWC under Republic Act No. 9262 which addresses acts committed against a woman or her child, whether legitimate or illegitimate, by a person with whom the woman has or had a domestic, sexual, or dating relationship. This online orientation clarified that VAWC encompasses not only physical violence but also sexual, psychological, and economic abuse, including harassment and the arbitrary deprivation of liberty. (MGCBA)