The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered trial court judges to prioritize cases involving domestic violence against women and children the incidence of which ostensibly went up during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his keynote message during the launch of “HerStory: Gender Award of Distinction” held at the Manila Hotel, Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo noted that the pandemic has brought about numerous problems affecting women, including those in the judiciary.
Gesmundo cited statistics showing the “disturbing” spike in recorded incidents of domestic violence against women and children, prompting the SC to issue a directive for judges to prioritize the resolution of these cases, including the issuance of urgent reliefs such as temporary protection orders (TPOs), permanent protection orders (PPOs), and writ of habeas corpus, as well as to resolve them immediately.
“We shall continue to train our judges to handle these cases with the utmost sensitivity, but always with fairness and impartiality,” the chief magistrate said.
Gesmundo also said that female officials and personnel of the court, including women justices and judges have had to bear the increased burden of working from home while tending to their children at the same time due to quarantine restrictions and lockdowns during the pandemic.
Because of this, Gesmundo said he is proposing the establishment of child-minding centers in courts to ease the dual burden on female court officials and employees.
“We are all too familiar with stories of women multi-tasking with an open zoom meeting while cooking or tending to their children at the same time. Their quality of life has been greatly diluted,” the Chief Justice said.
Gesmundo also lamented that cases involving mental issues likewise increased during the pandemic.
“Recently, we lost one of our judges who suffered from post-partum depression. To say it is tragic does not approximate the loss experienced by her family and the community she served, nor the loss of our institution,” Gesmundo said.
To address this problem, the Court would set up mental health units in judicial regions across the country, he added.
“The mental health of our officials and employees, our justices and judges, had been largely neglected in the past. Not anymore,” he stressed.
“HerStory: Gender Award of Distinction” is a search for remarkable stories of women judges that illustrate gender-based challenges they have experienced in relation to their role as jurists.
The finalists will be featured through a write-up which will be circulated to all courts to serve as an inspiration for others who face the same issues.
From the finalists, three winners will be chosen and will be awarded the HerStory: Gender Award of Distinction for 2022.
The launch coincided with the celebration of Women’s Month
