The Canila Farmers Women’s Association (CAFWA) carried out an emergency response in Brgy. Canila, Biliran, Biliran in partnership with the local Philippine National Police. As the barangay was placed under a week-long lockdown due to an increase in COVID cases, the insufficient ayuda (aid and support) from the local government pushed the women leaders to conduct a relief response. They prioritized the distribution of women’s hygiene needs in the kits they distributed as these were not included in the prior aid.
PKKK tries to mainstream the formation of GBV WGs among our projects with varying and evolving models. Recently, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and its link to GBV has been integrated in capacitating our rural women partners.
Each GBV WG is composed of around 10-15 women leaders from PKKK areas. They refer and accompany GBV survivors to authorities and service providers to ensure that survivors can access life-saving interventions especially medical attention, psychosocial support, and police protection. They also carry out advocacy work and engage with the barangay and municipal local government units forwarding calls to gender-responsive programs and services.
Through the WLIE Project, we have formed 4 GBV Watch Groups in Biliran which have assisted several victim-survivors in their communities. These groups proposed a resolution to their respective barangay councils, three of which have been approved, to recognize the legitimacy of the work that they do and to strengthen the alliance between the women leaders and the local state actors in looking out for and in keeping the communities safe from GBV.
