Text by: Angelou Mendoza
Photos by: Erlyn May Pareja
Notable female leaders pressed the need to craft stronger advocacies for women’s rights and gender equality as they shared the stage on a symposium titled, “Empower Her: Women Leaders Shaping Gender Equality” on March 26, 2024 at the Henry Sy Sr. Building.
Female Representation
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality discussed the topic, “Women Leaders: Championing Gender Equality” while Yanyan Araña, Project Manager of Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom engaged on a discussion on “Transgender Equality: Pivotal Path to Development.” Dr. Beverly Lorraine C. Ho, former DOH Assistant Secretary and Director of the Health Promotion Bureau shared her insights on “Women Leaders in Health Advocating for Gender Equality.”
Sen. Hontiveros lauded UP Manila for its efforts on promoting gender equality and welfare of women. She said there is a need to push for reforms in legislation which support the rights and concerns of women, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) and public health. To date, several mandates have been put into action through the Senator’s initiative, such as the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-nanay Act, Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act, and the pending bill on Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy Bill.
“We need more women leaders at all levels of public service to bring fresh and courageous views and policies, and voices to policy-making. More importantly, we need more women leaders to provide a bigger and more empathic voice to marginalized communities,”
Sen. Hontiveros said in the event.
“Female representation isn’t just about gender equality, it’s also about social justice. Nakikiusap at hinahamon ko kayong lahat, lalo na ang ating kabataang kababaihan, step up to the challenge and responsibility of transforming society. Be informed, be involved in the years and days to come, don’t be afraid to dream of a better future for women,” she added.
Transgender Rights
Yanyan Araña, shared her experiences as a trans woman promoting transgender rights. She challenged the audience to see trans individuals as “not less” of any gender.
“Oftentimes, women and girls in all spectrums are seen as a subsection of the society. Maybe because we display more emotion compared to other genders. But, hindi yun kakulangan or that doesn’t make us less of a person. But hope that in our society, we aspire na magkaroon tayo ng society na pantay-pantay ang pagtingin regardless of your gender and sexuality,”
Araña said.
Teenage Pregnancies
Sexual abuse and the spike in teenage pregnancies are pressing issues that societies grapple with. Both have far- reaching implications for individuals, families, and communities. Thus, the need for healthcare workers to broaden their network so they can cater to sectors affected by these issues, Dr. Beverly Lorraine C. Ho emphasized in the event.
Roots of Health or “Ugat ng Kalusugan,” an organization that focuses on reducing the teenage pregnancy cases in Palawan, discovered that the increasing pregnancy rate was because of sexual abuse within the family members and not due to promiscuity. Hence, the need for sexual health education and safe spaces for young people, she said.
Sexual Abuse is also an issue faced by many female Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). Thus, she said there is also a need for a safe space for female OFWs to openly discuss sensitive topics to help them deal with the effects of the experience.
To summarize, Dr. Ho highlighted the challenges she identified in eliminating disparities: availability and accessibility of data, accuracy of insight and socio-cultural stigma, advocacy fatigue, tokenism, and initial and sustained funding.
The event was organized by the UP Manila Center for Gender and Women Studies and the UP College of Medicine GAD Committee in celebration of Women’s month. ■
