Addressing gender-based violence (2)

COTABATO CITY — As I mentioned in the first part of this series, the fatwa on five forms of gender-based violence issued by the BARMM’s Bureau of Darul-Ifta was a significant milestone for the gender advocates in the region, led by the chairperson and staff of the Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC). It certainly was no mean feat for a fledgling commission devoted to the concerns of women, on ensuring mainstreaming of gender justice, and gender and development (GAD) in a highly male-dominated regional bureaucracy. Certainly, its launching on the celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day in the region made it even more symbolic.

To refresh us on the five forms of gender-based violence addressed in the fatwa, these are: rape, women (sex) trafficking, husbands forcing sex on their wives, husbands deserting or abandoning their wives, and any form of violence against women.

As shared by BWC chairperson Hadja Bainon Karon, it was quite a hurdle considering that many of the ulama (council of learned men in Islam) avoid discussing these issues, especially in public. In one of the many consultations leading to the decision of coming up with the fatwa, one female ustadz (Arabic teacher) remarked rather sarcastically, “Ayaw niyong pag usapan ang sex pero gusto niyo naman yun gawin.” (You don’t like to talk about sex but you like to do it.”) She literally made the male ustadzes’ jaws drop.

Still, the commission faces big hurdles in realizing its mandate to promote gender justice and ensure the mainstreaming of gender and development in the ministries and agencies of the region, as well as the meaningful implementation of the mandated GAD Focal Point System (GFPS). The GFPS is a mechanism to mainstream GAD in the different line agencies of government all throughout the country, as required in Memorandum Circular No. 2011-01. This memorandum order lists important guidelines for the creation, strengthening, and institutionalization of the GFPS. The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) issued this on Oct. 21, 2011, during the term of office of PCW chair Remedios I. Rikken.

In the memorandum circular, implementing guidelines on how a government agency can structure itself to embed a GFPS are clearly outlined, including the set-up of the GFPS executive committee. As provided for in the memorandum order, the head of the government agency or ministry is also the chair of the executive committee for the GFPS in his or her office.

Unfortunately, the heads of the different ministries, again predominantly males, are not grounded on the gender and development framework and issues. Many of them are still clueless on why there is a need to allocate the required five percent of the agencies’ development budgets for mainstreaming GAD in their respective offices. The BWC chair and her staff shared with me how they were ridiculed for asserting this and for reminding agency heads that their annual budgets will not be approved without allocating a budget for GAD.

Moreover, the fledgling BARMM government of the day still grapples with the overwhelming issues of how to run a government better than its predecessors, and in creating structures that will redound to much more effective and efficient service delivery to its more than 3 million constituents, among whom are the poorest of the poor in the country. This heavy responsibility has been used to explain why the new power holders of the region tend to brush aside GAD concerns and issues, relegating these to the sidelines and not in the forefront of governance.

This is a serious drawback since it underscores the lack of appreciation of the significant roles of women and men in the overall governance of the region. As one proverb says, “women hold half the sky.” If our common sky is just held by one-half of the population, it will collapse, figuratively speaking. Women’s concerns and issues need to be brought to the forefront of governance, not on the sidelines, and not as an afterthought. Women should not only be seen and heard; they should also be allowed to contribute to planning and decision-making, to make balanced and inclusive governance in the region.

(To be concluded)

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