Cases of violence against women and children in selected barangays in Dasmariñas City, Cavite: its implications to social work practices / by Esmeralda R. Cruz

Thesis (Bachelor of Science in Social Work ) Cavite State University.

Includes bibliographical references.

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), Department of Social Science and Humanities

CRUZ, ESMERALDA R. Cases of Violence against Women and Children in Selected Barangays in Dasmarifias City, Cavite: Its Implications to Social Work Practices. Undergraduate Thesis. Bachelor of Science in Social Work. Cavite State University, Indang, Cavite. December 2017. Adviser: Merlie C. Nahilat
The study was conducted to identify the demographic profile of the VAWC victims and/or survivors in terms of the forms of violence, age, gender, marital status, and their perpetrators; determine the challenges encountered and the strategies/ways used in handling VAWC cases by the barangay officials/chairpersons, and CSWDO- social workers; and assess the situation of VAWC cases in selected barangays in Dasmatiflas City, Cavite from 2014-2016, and its implications to social work practices. The researcher utilized the purposive sampling technique to determine the appropriate sample participants of the study. The target participants were the persons in-charge of handling VAWC cases. Those experts in handling VAWC cases were city social workers in Dasmarilias City, and barangay officiasl/chairpersons from Barangay Paliparan III, Barangay Salawag, and Barangay Victoria Reyes. The research design used was descriptive-narrative method in order to determine the situation of the cases of violence against women and children in Barangay Paliparan III, Barangay Salawag, and Barangay Victoria Reyes in Dasmarifias City, Cavite. Collection of data used actual interview with the participants in order to know their professional experiences in handling VAWC cases. This design also collected data through printed documents. The secondary data regarding VAWC cases were gathered from three barangays namely Salawag, Paliparan III, and Victoria Reyes of Dasmarinas, Cavite from 2014 to 2016. The total number of VAWC cases reported in three barangays was 1, 167 cases; total cases of women was 829, and 338 for the cases of children in the form of physical, economic, sexual, and psychological abuses, and abuses were increasing yearly. The age range of women were from 16 to 72 years old, and the age range of children were from 6 months to 17 years old. Most of the women victims and/or survivors were engaged in live-in relationship (536). Others were married (256), some were single (31), and few were separated (5) and one was widowed. All of the children victims and/or survivors were single (338). The perpetrators of women who were reported in this study included their live- in partners (523), husbands (252), ex-live- in partners (22), and boyfriends (13), fathers (9), ex- husbands (6), ex-boyfriends (3), and stepfather (1). However, most of the perpetrators of the children victims and/or survivors were their fathers (1750). This data was followed by their mothers (75) and stepfathers (67), while some perpetrators were their boyfriends (20) and ex-stepfather (1). The challenges encountered by the barangay councils/ VAWC desk officers and CSWDO- social workers were lack of fund/ financial provision/ assistance, absence of shelter for the victims and/or survivors in the barangay, pity of victims and/or survivors towards their perpetrators, bad impression and bad words received from the perpetrators, women victims and/or survivors not filing cases towards their perpetrators (husband or partners) due to the fear of losing the bread winner of the family, and being falsely charged in handling the VAWC cases. The above implementer used ways and strategies in resolving the challenges encountered like giving provision of counseling session, temporary shelter for the victims and/or survivors in the barangay, settlement of the cases in barangay level with signing an agreement, properly handling tension between the officer and the perpetrators, self- giving of financial provision /assistance for the victims and/or survivors, tapping outside resources, conduct campaign advocacy for anti-violence against women and children, and boldly facing the difficulties in handling the VAWC cases. Social work intervention is greatly needed in cooperation with the barangay VAWC desk officer, police force, LGU, and NGO in counseling, teaching, and orienting the abused women and children. This can help them rehabilitate and transform their quality of living.

Submitted to the University Library March 19, 2018 T-8023