Institutional Strengthening and Integration of Feminist Care Ethics in GBV/VAWC Response Mechanism and Protocol in Pilot LGUs

Gender-based violence in the Philippines has plagued the lives of many women and LGBTQIA+ individuals. The 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) and the EU’s Gender Country Profile of the Philippines report alarming numbers of GBV cases. The World Bank Gender Based Violence Policy and Institutional Mapping Report cited availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of direct service for GBV survivors as one of the main challenges in addressing GBV in the country. In addition, the Report also cited limited documentation and data harmonization among agencies, which contribute to the invisibility of women and the issue of GBV in development programming.

The Bayi Care Program seeks to address the gaps and challenges through an inclusive, gender-transformative municipal-based program that will capacitate GBV/VAWC first responders on feminist care and legal assistance, recommend policy reforms to ensure institutionalization of government support, look into the potential usage of a harmonized advocates and legal practitioners that will push for a feminist care service in responding to cases of GBV/VAWC. The reorientation of the frontliners will ensure the improved quality of care and services of the various agencies involved in accepting, documenting, managing, and monitoring cases.

Capacity building of first responders

BAYI Care Training Module will be developed based on the needs assessment workshop to be conducted with potential participants. The workshop will use arts and movement-based methodology to surface the topics and issues the participants want to include in the module. This will run from the first quarter to the second quarter of the first year. This will ensure that lived experiences and stakeholders’ solutions are integrated into the module which will then be pivoted into a BAYI Care Information Tool Kit to be disseminated to our partner LGUs, GBV/VAWC responders, and other stakeholders.

The BAYI Care Workshop module will focus on values formation on feminist values and principles, integration of feminist care in all aspects of the GBV response mechanism, and other knowledge gaps based on consultations with involved stakeholders. For this workshop, 30 first responders from selected sites will be chosen to participate. Participants from GBV referral pathways-stakeholders, such as the PNP, VAWC Desks, and RHUs, are expected to come up with their Referral Mechanism and Action Plans for the implementation of the BAYI Care Program in their LGUs after the completion of the program. As the agency head and one or two staff members will be the targeted participants, there is an assurance of the proper implementation of the action plan and the integration of feminist care in their response mechanisms and support services. Instilling values of the ethics of care, feminist practices, and essential psychosocial assistance among the first responders can develop victim-centered and trauma-informed practices and responses that will make it easier for victim-survivors to seek help.

Identification of recommendations towards more gender-transformative GBV/VAWC policies

In addressing the gaps in existing GBV/VAWC policies, the outputs of the workshops will materialize policy recommendations which will be collaborated with the Local Council to inform the development of a policy brief or ordinance institutionalizing feminist care and legal assistance in GBV response mechanism. The discussions on these will be integrated in the BAYI Care Local Workshops, wherein participants will share and discuss their experiences, including the barriers, challenges, and good practices in addressing GBV.

Development of a Feasibility Study on Bayi Care Information Management System (BAYI CIMS)

To address the limited documentation and data harmonization among agencies which have contributed to the invisibility of women and the issue of GBV in development programming, the program will conduct a Feasibility Study to develop a Bayi Care Information Management System (BAYI CIMS). The BAYI CIMS will be a locally developed data management system based on the GBVIMS that will harmonize case documentation, management, and tracking of GBV/VAWC cases. A report and mock-up site will be developed after the finalization of the Feasibility Study.

Development of Bayi Care Toolkit to be distributed among first responders

A BAYI Care Toolkit will be developed based on the discussion in the Local Workshops. The Toolkit will feature the feminist care guide in responding to GBV/VAWC cases, the referral pathway mechanism, and the policy recommendations that will be disseminated among Local Council Members and to more than 70 Angat Bayi Fellows across the country.

Toolkit link can be downloaded through this folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OYClYkwocTqB5u9D8p_1Qc5wUcVM--bx?usp=sharing