FOURTEENTH CONGRJ3SS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
1 
SENATE 
S. No. 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Violence against women has been defined in the United Nations Declaration on the 
Elimination of Violence Against Women: 
“Violence Against Women (VAW) is any act of gender-based violence 
that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or 
suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary 
deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.” 
In year 2000, the Department of Social Welfare and Development reported that in the 
first six months of 2000 there were 4,468 reports of women in “especially difficult 
circumstances“. Nearly half of the cases are reported to have involved physical abuse, 
maltreatment and battery while 14 percent reportedly involved sexual abuse. 
When crime, drugs, and violence spill over from the streets into the schools, providing a 
safe learning environment becomes increasingly difficult. Creating such an environment where 
students can learn depends on a partnership among students, parents, teachers, and other 
community institutions. School violence can be presented by taking action to protect students, 
particularly women students, who can be victims of discrimination and violence. 
To help improve safety of women students within educational institutions, it is important 
that school administrations establish offices that focus on formulating policies and guidelines on 
how to promote school security and student safety by training school personnel in conflict 
resolution, problem solving, drug prevention, crisis intervention, cultural sensitivity, classroom 
management, and counseling skills. 
This bill seeks to address violence in educational institutions by mandating the creation 
of a women’s desk in all such institutions. Its aim shall be to serve women students by protecting 
them against all forms of violence in a comprehensive and personalized manner which adheres to 


the national policies on women’s protection. A women’s desk will also focus on receiving 
complains of violence against women and strive to help victims recover.* 
* This bill was originally filed during the Thirteenth Congress, Third Regular Session. 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
1 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 
A WOMEN’S DESK IN ALL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 
Be it enacted by th.e Senate and the House of Representatives of 
the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Women’s Desk Act of 2007.” 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to promote the 
protection of rights of all women students to ensure that they are protected from all forms of 
violence. Pursuant to this policy, the State shall address violence in educational institutions by 
mandating the creation of a women’s desk in all such institutions, the aim of which shall be the 
protection of women against all forms of violence in a comprehensive and personalized manner 
which adheres to the national policies on women’s rights and welfare. 
SECTION 3. Definition ofTevms. -For the purpose of this Act, the term 
(A) “Women’s desk” means an office within an educational institution which focuses 
on receiving complaints of violence, in any form, against women. 
(B) “Educational institution” means any educational institution whether public or 
private as well as state universities with special charters. 
(C) “Women’s desk officer” means any person in charge of managing the women’s 
desk. 
(D) “Women victims of violence” means women students who are victims of any form 
of violence, the violence occurring in school or outside the learning institution. 
This shall also include women employees of the educational institution. 
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SECTION 4. Establishment of a Women’s Desk in evey Educational Institution; Goals. 
- It is hereby ordered that a women’s desk shall be established in every educational institution 
throughout the country. 
The goals of establishing a women’s desk in every educational institution are the 
following: 
(A)The adoption of a systematic approach to the management complaints by women 
students of being victims of any form of violence; 
(B) The establishment of an office within every school to focus particularly in receiving 
complaints of violence of any form against women students. The women’s desk 
office will also provide needs of women survivors of violence such as counseling and 
advice. 
SECTION 5 .  Services Provided by Women’s Desks. - The services to be provided by 
women’s desks are the following: 
(A) Support services such as counseling and referrals to other agencies for the provision 
other needs such as shelter to the women victims of violence; 
(B) Coordination with agencies for medical services needed by women victims of 
violence; 
(C) Provide basic information on gender sensitivity and violence against women; 
(D) Development of institutional guidelines to protect women against any form of 
violence; 
(E) Provide psychosocial intervention such as individual and group therapy, crisis 
counseling and stress management activities; 
Initiate advocacy efforts such as production of materials for dissemination on issues 
relevant to abuse of women, personal advocacy for the individual and networking 
with other concerned agencies; and 
(G) Conduct researcheshtudies to fully understand the scope of the problem of violence 
against women. 
(F) 
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SECTION 6. Qualifications for Women’s Desk Oficers. - Qualifications for women’s 
desk officers shall be formulated by the respective school administrations in coordination with 
the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Commission on Higher Education 
(CHED) and the Department of Education (DepEd). Provided, that all women’s desk officers 
shall at least be a graduate of any four year social science course and has basic training in 
psychology. 
SECTION 7. Guidelines for Implementation. - The Department of Social Welfare and 
Development, the Department of Education, and the Commission on Higher Education shall be 
responsible for the drafting of the Implementing Rules and Regulations, including penalties for 
violations of the provisions of this Act, within 60 days after its adoption. 
SECTION 8. Implementing Agencies. - The implementing agencies for this Act shall be 
the following, in coordination with the respective school administrations: 
(A) Department of Social Welfare and Development 
(B) Department of Education 
(C) Commission on Higher Education 
SECTION 9. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof, is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 10. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to, or inconsistent 
with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 1 1 .  2j”ectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved. 
RCC/8-5-06 
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