Amid a reported increase in the cases of domestic violence and rape against women and children, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Monday urged victims of abuses to surface and report such abuses.
She called on the QCitizens to seek help through the city’s protection center hotline 122, barangays, women’s desks of the Quezon City Police District, and Gender and Development office that would closely monitor and act swiftly on calls and reports pertaining to violence against women and children (VAWC), and other gender-based incidents.
“The increase in the number of cases of abuse has been alarming. We cannot allow this to happen, and we need an immediate action. We consider home as a safe space, and therefore we have to ensure the safety of the people against violence,” Belmonte said.
“What is important is that we have sent a strong signal that the victims have someone to turn to and to defend them,” she said.
The mayor said the city government, along with the police, is set to launch a unified information management system to facilitate the monitoring and hasten the investigation of VAWC cases.
“We cannot let any QCitizen suffer from gender-based violence in Quezon City, especially during the pandemic,” she stressed.
In a Quezon City Peace and Order Council meeting, QCPD director Antonio Yarra reported a 66.67 percent increase in VAWC cases and a 21.54 percent increase in rape cases for the first eight months of 2021 compared to the same period last year.
“We have launched a campaign to make women aware of their rights and make them advocates so they will be encouraged to report abuses,” Yarra said.
He raised concern that the COVID-19 pandemic has played a significant role in the upward trend since most families are at home, which was compounded by the financial difficulties experienced by many families, resulting in domestic conflict.
The QCPD chief said most of the recorded cases were of physical abuse with psychological abuse a distant second.