BAGUIO CITY, April 11(PIA)– Representatives of universities and colleges, and non-government organizations presented their existing policies, issues and concerns, as well as recommendations regarding women’s rights in a Community-Based Dialogue (CBD) organized by the Commission on Human Rights- Cordillera (CHR-CAR).
CHR Cordillera Regional Director Romel Daguimol explained the activity was to raise the level of awareness about the programs and policies on women in higher educational institutions (HEIs) and to provide a venue for the collective formulation of concrete proposals for government and HEIs’ action for the promotion and protection of women’s rights.
“As the Magna Carta of Women provides for mechanism of regulation, particularly giving power to the regulatory commission to adopt policies, the CBD is being conducted to see the view points of these HEIs in crafting their policy,” Daguimol added.
The CHR is tasked as the Gender and Development Ombud to ensure the promotion and protection of women’s human rights.
The top prevailing concern identified in the CBD was the issue on pregnancy testing required on students in some courses. Participants from various HEIs were divided with respect to the pregnancy testing whether it’s mandatory, voluntary or is it actually needed in pursuing some courses.
The Pines City Colleges’s mandatory pregnancy test for students was recently the subject of public criticism but school officials said this is meant to protect the students and their babies from harm. They agreed though to modify the manner by which the policy was stated to be compliant with the Magna Carta of Women.
The second issue was on sexual harassment. Not all HEIs have existing policies or mechanisms on sexual harassment.
Daguimol is saddened that the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act was passed in 1995, yet not all stakeholders have fully implemented the law.
He explained that the law has safeguards against sexual abuses in the employment, education or training environment. It gives mechanisms of redress for possible sexual abuses or harassments committed in HEIs, in schools, in trainings and in workplaces.
“Considering the very vital role of HEIs in molding our students, it is highly recommended for us to come up with our own system to cater to sexual harassment,” Daguimol said.
Other prevailing issues presented include prostitution, cross dressing and LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) rights.
“Our point of view or recommendation here is what are the existing policies, preventive measures to prevent prostitution in our schools, if any? It is our moral duty as leaders of the schools to recommend to our school heads to come up with policies to curb such,” Daguimol said.
Patricio Dinamling of the Commission on Higher Education representative commended the CHR for conducting such activity saying is very timely especially nowadays that women need to know these existing policies to protect their rights.
For the past five years, he shared that their office did not receive any official complaint on gender issues.
Department of Science and Technology Regional Director Nancy Bantog encouraged HEIs with no existing written policies on anti sexual harassment to consider having it now especially that universities and colleges now are going for Institutional Sustainability Accreditation, or PASUC accreditation.
The forum, which was part of the Women’s Month celebration, was attended by representatives of Ifugao State University, University of the Cordilleras, Mountain Province State Polytechnic College, Benguet State University, Saint Louis University, Apayao State College, Pines City Colleges, University of Baguio, Baguio Central University, KAISAKA and Young Women’s Initiative. **JDP/MAWC – PIA CAR
