Through the initiative of the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office, members of Dumaguete-based NGO Gender Watch against Violence & Exploitation (GWAVE), and its subsidiary group the Men against Violence in Amlan (MAVA) held a gender-awareness training for chiefs of police and other police-commissioned officers.
The whole-day training covered a variety of topics including Sensitivity toward Victims; Differences between Sex and Gender; Gender Roles, Stereotypes and Socialization; Understanding the Power Equations between Men and Women; and The Manifestations of Gender Bias.
In his opening remarks, P/Supt. Alet Intac Virtucio noted that men dominated the PNP before, “but now that there are women in the PNP, it is very important that we treat everybody as equals.”
One of the main points emphasized by the facilitators was that Gender Awareness Training is not an “anti-male stance” nor is it “a battle of the sexes”. Both men and women are victims of gender-based violence; although statistically, an overwhelming number of victims are women.
Another core message that was emphasized was the “need to unburden our men by empowering our women”. By carrying the undue stress of being the sole provider of the household, the man is put under immense pressure to live up to society’s preconceived standards of manhood. But by providing an atmosphere where the wives and daughters feel free to pursue educational avenues and careers of their own, a future is created where the burden is taken off of the backs of men, and is shouldered equally by husband and wife.
The “multiple burden of women” was also discussed in the training, where many women who are allowed to work, are still expected to perform all daily duties of the household including child rearing, meal preparation, and housekeeping.
The training culminated with each officer sharing their lessons learned, and their personal commitment to end violence against women (VAW) in their communities.
Collectively, the PNP officers committed: No more VAW! Condemn any man who commits violence against his family. We are committed to ending violence against women. Men and women are created equal in all aspects of life, and we will give all our understanding to women. Ang hapag kainan ay hapag ng pagmamahalan. Pag may pagmamahalan, walang violence.
The workshop was facilitated by MAVA officers Rouland “Jojo” Raagas and James Carampatana, GWAVE Men’s Project Coordinator Reynald C. Dote, GWAVE paralegal officer Katheleen C. Del Socorro, and U.S. Peace Corps volunteer Rocky Magaña. They were joined by co-facilitators MAVA Juniors Keith O. Reynado and Joel Yba, and documenter GWAVE paralegal Elainne Q. Escorial. (GWAVE PR)
