PH communities urged to adopt program vs. gender-based violence

“I hope that this campaign will result in the work continuing at the local level,” Swedish Ambassador Harald Fries said in a media interview at his residence in Makati City on Tuesday. (File Photo: Embassy of Sweden in Manila/Facebook)

MANILA — The Swedish Embassy in Manila is hoping that communities nationwide would adopt their own awareness campaign against gender-based violence as it continues to promote the “Respeto Naman” initiative, a program that seeks to bring the issue of rape and sexual harassment into the mainstream.

“I hope that this campaign will result in the work continuing at the local level,” Swedish Ambassador Harald Fries said in a media interview at his residence in Makati City on Tuesday.

“The message of Respeto Naman needs to reverberate not just in Metro Manila, but also to the farthest towns in the Philippines as it tackles important, but often overlooked questions,” he pointed out, referring to the sufficiency of laws protecting women from exploitation, harassment, and rape, and whether social norms are enabling a culture of abuse of women.

Maica Teves, executive director of the Samahan ng mga Pilipina para sa Reporma at Kaunlaran (SPARK!), echoed the envoy’s sentiments and expressed hopes the campaign will not just end on advocacy and awareness.

“We want to change policy regarding our rape laws, we would like this under our gender and development program, all local government agencies have that budget and we hope that the topic of gender-based violence could be part of their activities,” she said.

On Tuesday, Fries together with SPARK!, Office of the Vice President, United Nations Women, Empower, Terre des Hommes, Girls Advocacy Alliance, and Para sa Sining also introduced Binibining Pilipinas Supranational Resham Saeed as the “Respeto Naman” campaign’ celebrity ambassador.

The Respeto Naman campaign is inspired by the global #MeToo and #TimesUp movement.

After its successful run in Metro Manila, the campaign is now gearing up for a wider audience, with stops in Cebu, Bacolod, Iloilo, and Naga.

On July 18, the movement will take on its first Visayas leg in Cebu City, starting with the exhibit display of “Don’t Tell Me How To Dress” at the Ayala Center Cebu.

The exhibit is part of the campaign, which seeks to abolish the stereotype that women’s appearance and behavior are to blame when they are assaulted.