To mark International Working Women’s Day on March 8, women’s groups in the Philippines called for an end to all forms of violence against women, particularly those perpetrated by state security forces.
Thousands of men, women, and children joined marches in major cities across the country to show unity and to voice their demand for land, job security, just wages, and human rights.
They called for the continuation of the “struggle for equality and fight for their rights” despite what they described as the discrimination and oppression by government forces.
A lady legislator also urged Filipino men “to take part in the fight for women’s rights” and to be “more proactive in ensuring gender equality among men and women.”
Senator Risa Hontiveros said sexual harassment, domestic violence, and rape start with the thought of ownership over women.
She said that in the Philippines, a woman is raped every hour while one in four women have experienced spousal violence.
See images of Women’s Day in the Philippines below.
