MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives approved a bill which aimed to expand the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act.
House Bill 8420 hurdled third and final reading on Wednesday with about 260 lawmakers voting for its passage.
Gabriela Women's Party Rep. Sarah Elago, in a statement posted on Facebook, said in Filipino and English that the bill was "an important step to align the law with the worsening form of violence against women and children, especially in online spaces."
In 2004, then-president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, now the congressional representative of Pampanga's second district, signed the Anti-VAWC Act into law.
"But while times change, the form that violence takes also changes. So it is time to strengthen and amend the law to address the worsening online abuse, harassment, and other new forms of abuse against women and children", Elago said.
The bill defines technology-facilitated violence against women and their children. Elago said the bill recognized unauthorized dissemination of sensitive images and creation of fake accounts as crimes. Sound clips of a sensitive nature are also covered by the bill.
Elago said the bill recognized "online harassment, stalking, and hacking as forms of violence."
The lawmaker also said the bill has stricter penalties for violators. She said these included a P500,000 fine and imprisonment.
The bill gives women 20 days of paid leave which, it said, "shall cover the days when" they have to "attend to medical, legal, and other valid concerns related to the pending case." Under the bill, they are entitled to this benefit during "the application of any protection order, investigation, prosecution, and/or trial of the criminal case".
