Awareness and Perception On Violence Against Women and Children Act or Ra 9262: An Action Plan for The Protection of Women and Children

Abstract

The study assessed the level of sectoral groups' understanding and perceptions of the Violence Against Women and Children Act, or RA 9262, as the foundation for a more intensive information, education, and communication campaign. The frequency %, arithmetic mean, F-test, Chi square test, and Correlation Coefficient r – test were used to examine data from the 460 respondents using descriptive research. The bulk of the respondents were under 40 years old, female, married, Roman Catholics, college graduates, working as office employees, teachers, and barangay officials, with a monthly salary of less than 10,000 pesos, and lived in Tumauini, Isabela's rural districts.
In addition, respondents reported complete understanding and strong agreement on economic, physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, describing spouses' actions as "very severe." Male respondents who were young, unmarried, Roman Catholics, had a higher education, were employed, had a low monthly income, and lived in rural regions were more informed about the economic, physical, psychological, and sexual abuses covered by RA 9262 than their female counterparts. Male respondents who were young, unmarried, Roman Catholics, with a high level of education, employed, with a modest monthly income, and living in rural regions were more likely to agree that the provisions of RA 9262 as particularly severe acts of violence committed by spouses against women and their children. The more the view of the provisions of RA 9262 as extremely severe acts of violence committed by spouses against women and their children, the more sectoral groups are aware of the economic, physical, psychological, and sexual abuses as provisions of the law.