More battered women reported in SOCCSKSARGEN Region than in other Mindanao Regions
(posted 24 May 2010)

Results from the 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) of the National Statistics Office (NSO) showed that in SOCCSKSARGEN Region (Region XII), 35.0 percent of women age 15-49 have experienced physical violence, the highest among Mindanao regions. This was followed by Northern Mindanao (Region X), 28.0 percent, and Caraga with reported 27.0 percent physical violence on women. The national figure was reported at 20.0 percent.
 

Percentage of women who experience violence, Mindanao Regions: 2008
Indicators	Region IX	Region X	Region XI	Region XII	Caraga	ARMM
Women who have ever experienced physical violence since age 15 (%)	21	28	25	35	27	23
Women who have ever experienced physical or sexual violence by their spouse (%)	17	19	23	26	27	13
Source: 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey, National Statistics Office

Married life is not that sweet for a handful of women. In Caraga, 27.0 percent of married women reported to have experienced physical or sexual abuses by their spouses, 26.0 percent in SOCCSKSARGEN Region and 23.0 percent in Davao Region (Region XI). In the ARMM, only 13.0 percent of the married women reported to have been physically or sexually abused by their husbands. Pushing, shaking and slapping are the most commonly reported forms of physical violence as cited in the NDHS report.

Reports from the Women and Children's Protection Desk of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Region XII showed that the most chronic form of abuse on women in the region in 2008 was spousal abuse. A total of 172 cases or 59.3 percent of VAW cases were committed by the relatives, partners and boyfriends of the victims and in 65.7 percent of the cases, the identified perpetrators were the husbands.
 

Number of Reported Cases of Violence Against Women by Relation to Victim of Perpetrators by Province/City: 2008
Perpetrator	Region XII	Cotabato	South Cotabato	Sarangani	Sultan Kudarat
Father	3	-	1	1	-
Husband	113	22	19	16	8
Wife	3	-	-	-	1
Half Brother	3	-	-	-	-
Live-in Partner	35	2	8	10	3
Boyfriend	10	1	1	-	2
Relatives	5	1	2	2	-
No relation	118	26	19	15	4
TOTAL	290	52	50	44	18
	Gen. Santos City	Cotabato City	Tacurong City	Kidapawan City	Koronadal City
Father	-	-	-	-	1
Husband	2	4	7	18	17
Wife	-	1	1	-	-
Half Brother	-	-	3	-	-
Live-in Partner	-	4	-	2	6
Boyfriend	-	2	-	2	2
Relatives	-	-	-	-	-
No relation	7	17	4	18	8
TOTAL	9	28	15	40	34
Source: Women and Children's Desk, Philippine National Police XII

Across the region, Cotabato registered the highest number of reported VAW cases with 52, followed by South Cotabato with 50 cases, Sarangani Province with 44 cases and Sultan Kudarat with 18 cases. Among the cities, Kidapawan City registered the highest incidence with 40 VAW cases while General Santos City registered the lowest with only nine (9) cases.

Half (50.3%) of the abuses inflicted on women were committed by perpetrators without the influence of drugs or alcohol while about 34.8 percent of the crimes were committed under the influence of alcohol.
 

Number of Reported Cases of Violence Against Women by Age Group: 2008
Area	18-25	26-35	36-45	46-55	56 and over	Undeter-mined	Total
Cotabato	28	9	10	5	-	-	52
South Cotabato	18	14	15	3	-	-	50
Sarangani	9	14	19	2	-	-	44
Sultan Kudarat	5	2	6	5	-	-	18
Gen. Santos City	1	3	1	1	3	-	9
Cotabato City	6	12	1	-	-	-	28
Tacurong City	5	2	4	2	2	-	15
Kidapawan City	15	8	7	10	-	-	40
Koronadal City	16	6	5	7	-	-	34
Region XII	103	70	131	35	5	-	290
Source: Women and Children's Protection Desk, PNP XII

By age, most of the victims were aged 36 to 45 years old. A total of 131 victims or about 45.2 percent of the victims aged 36-45 followed by those aged 18-25 with 103 cases. Senior citizens were not spared as five (5) elderly women aged 56-and-above also fell victims to crimes - three (3) in General Santos City and two (2) in Tacurong City.

The PNP data also revealed that 71.0 percent of the accused/perpetrators were still at large, while only 58 of the 290 cases were solved with the 57 accused already put behind bars and one (1) released on bail.