The UPLB Gender Center (UPLB-GC) continues to promote gender and health awareness notwithstanding the pandemic through the Gend-ER Live! webinar series on Facebook.

At its second episode on July 28, Gend-ER Live! discussed violence against women and children (VAWC) during the pandemic.  

Atty. Eric Paul Peralta, director of UPLB-GC, noted that crises provide the environment for and are linked to increased gender-based violence, including, VAW.

He said that it is time to put VAW into light because it remains underreported due to public stigma and cultural factors. 

According to Ann Angala, an anti-domestic and gender-based violence advocate, she receives messages seeking for help at these times. She said that the lockdown had increased domestic violence cases because the victims are quarantined with their abusers.

Angala, herself a VAW survivor, is the founder of In The Pink, an informal movement on Facebook about coping and happiness. It is through this online medium where she provides counseling to others.

Fellow speaker Nellibeth Mercado of the Department of Social Welfare and Development-CALABARZON, encouraged the use of social media to gather more social welfare data and information these days.

She stressed how the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down mobility, data gathering, data capturing, case handling, and referrals. The situation, she said, has affected their team in reaching out to their beneficiaries, including those of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

UPLB faculty member Joselito Baril, vice president of the UPLB Men Opposed to Violence against women Everywhere (MOVE), served as the webinar reactor.

Over 200 participants tuned in to the live online broadcast.

Gend-ER Live! debuted in June. Its third edition is set to be held in August. (KEAraguas)