Caravan to kick-off ’18-Day Campaign to End VAW’

By: Pilar S. Mabaquiao

SAN JOSE, Antique – A province-wide caravan from Antique’s capital town of San Jose to the northernmost municipality of Libertad will mark this year’s 18-day campaign to End Violence Against Women and Children (EVAW).

Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Lazaro Petinglay said that the event hopes to spread awareness among Antiqueños of the need to ensure that our homes and communities should remain free from violence.

He also urged parents to pay attention to their children because of the evolving issues on violence that happened in a dating relationship and online or social media connections.

The caravan will commence at the Evelio B. Javier Freedom Park early morning of December 10 and will converge at the Sibalom town public market where a short program will be conducted.

Several sectors will be reached by this advocacy considering that it is a market day in Sibalom. Information and education materials will also be distributed to highlight the significance of the campaign.

Going north, the second stop will be in the town of Bugasong, then to Culasi and Libertad.

During the caravan, information materials advocating for a VAW-Free community will be distributed to remind everyone of their role in keeping their families free from violence.

Petinglay also encouraged the participation of the local government units to join in this activity.

The Local Council for the Protection of Children and the Barangay VAW C Desk are also enjoined to get involved in the campaign and initiate sustainable mechanism to end violence against women and children in their localities.

Provincial Executive Master Sergeant Cherryl Sapinosa of the Antique PNP Children and Women’s Desk noted increasing cases of rape and other VAWC cases in 2019.

“The rising cases of VAWC call for collective concern of everyone,” Sapinosa said. (PIA-Antique)