Oxfam Pilipinas marked National Women’s Month on Monday with a call for urgent action to protect women’s rights, reproductive healthcare, and gender justice amid increasing local and global backlash against rights movements.
Themed “Personal to Powerful: Our Power to Act,” the solidarity event brought together health advocates, government agencies, and community leaders in Quezon City to discuss the impact of misinformation campaigns, and the need for stronger implementation of policies supporting women and LGBTQIA+ communities.
“Gender justice is not just about rights of women––it is about the survival and dignity of all people,” said Maria Rosario “Lot” Felizco, Oxfam Pilipinas Executive Director, in her opening remarks.
“We must stand with feminist and queer movements, reaffirm our commitment to the Beijing Platform for Action, and push back against those who seek to take away our rights. We must not surrender,” she added.
“Sa gitna ng maraming hamon, hindi tayo pwedeng magpatalo. Importante na makita ng ating mga anak, through us, ang power ng kababaihan,” said anchor and columnist Jing Castañeda, who hosted the Oxfam event.
(Amidst the challenges, we must not give up. It’s important that our children see the power of women through us.)
Through a special performance by the UP Pep Squad, Oxfam launched the book “SHE Rises: Stories of Change from People and Communities of the S*xual Health and Empowerment Project” which collects real-life stories showcasing grassroots efforts to advance reproductive health and rights.
According to the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) Officer-in-Charge Executive Director Nharleen Santos-Millar, the Philippines has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in Southeast Asia. While significant progress has been made in passing several laws that support the reproductive rights of women, the agency laments there is still significant challenges in their implementation.
The organization also launched “Personal to Powerful” — a global briefing paper that examined the systemic challenges to gender justice worldwide and highlighted the danger of the growing influence of anti-rights movements.
“We still live in a world where one in three women lives in countries that do not prohibit the dismissal of pregnant women workers. Care work is distributed unevenly amongst women in ways that reflect prevailing race and class inequalities,” the paper found.
Rising to the challenge
Experts explored the impact of restrictive policies on Filipino women, strategies to counter misinformation, and improving access to reproductive health services.
Youth peer educator Khyle Sabeliano of the Pambansang Koalisyon ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan highlighted the disparity of reactions on the Comprehensive S*xual Education (CSE) between young people and adults.
“When CSE went viral on social media, I was surprised by the negative reaction of the adults. But when we were taught CSE, our reaction was positive because we understood its implications for us young people,” said Sabeliano.
He observed that the parents often opposed discussing CSE out of fear of their children becoming promiscuous, but young people appreciated how CSE helps them be more responsible and prevent unwanted pregnancies.
Santos-Millar also called on voters to make decisions that would create a positive impact for the rights of everyone in the country.
“Kailangan natin isa-isip sino nga ba sa mga kandidato ang aligned sa agenda natin sa human rights,” said Santos-Millar.
(We must consider who among the candidates are aligned with our agenda on human rights.)
“As an advocate for 27 years, and as a mother of two children, I rise to the challenge because I want my children to live in a society where they can freely make choices for their bodies, for their future, for their development,” she added.
