PH EMBASSY IN CAMBODIA JOINS

18-DAY CAMPAIGN TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

The Philippine Embassy in Cambodia rounded up its observance of the 18-day Campaign to End Violence against Women (VAW), capped by the screening of the film “Bagahe” on 07 December 2018 at the Multi-Purpose Hall of the Philippine Chancery.

Directed by Zig Dulay, Bagahe explores the life of an overseas Filipino worker named Mercy who is suspected of abandoning a newborn child in a trash bin of an airplane toilet. The film depicts the harsh experiences Mercy underwent while being investigated by authorities.

The film showing was followed by a forum to discuss the prevalence of VAW and the need to detect and prevent it from happening. The forum was facilitated by Dr. Vic Salas, an independent consultant on issues related to public health and development, HIV/AIDS, sexual and gender-based violence. Almost 40 people participated in the culminating event.

In addition to the film showing, the Philippine Embassy printed and distributed advocacy materials produced by the Philippine Commission on Women. A video presentation entitled “VAW: Unspoken Word” was likewise shown at the Embassy’s consular section for the duration of the 18-day campaign. Using free-verse poetry and images, the “Unspoken Word” videos aimed to increase understanding of the difficult experiences of victim-survivors.

“Thank you to the Embassy for showing this film. I know of many OFWs, especially when we lived in the Middle East, who became victims of violence by their employers. This needs to be reported to the authorities. It is a good thing that the Philippine government, specifically OWWA, always came to help the victims,” said Yvonne Pamfilo-Eseo, a full-time homemaker in Cambodia. END