Brothers and sisters, the issue of sexual harassment has once again risen after a protest of a few students of a renowned university regarding the cases of sexual harassment that allegedly occured in the aforementioned school. According to these students, the actions the university is taking is not enough to protect the students from this kind of abuse and to make the school a safe space for the youth.
These incidents gave attention to a new law nicknamed “Anti-Bastos Law.” Republic Act 11313, which is appropriately named the “Safe Spaces Act,” listed the actions and behavior that can be considered sexual harassment in streets, public places, schools and even online.
The law also imposes different punishments for sexual harassment. The scope of this law is wide, as it aims to make many places, including streets, restaurants, theaters, public vehicles, malls, resorts, bars, parks, schools, workplaces, and even churches or any place used by the public to be safe.
There are many acts that can be considered sexual harassment. In the first survey conducted in the country in 2016 about sexual harassment among women, it was discovered that 3 out of 5 women have experienced sexual harassment in their entire lives. Over 80 percent fall within the ages of 18 to 24 years old; and 70 percent of these incidents experienced by women come from strangers, occurred in streets and alleyways, within the hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Because of this law, institutions like schools will have a much stronger basis and detailed guides to review and strengthen their rules and policies in resolving sexual harassment cases, the accountability of the management and the imposition of punishments to those who violate the rules. For example, during the consultations regarding implementing rules and regulations of the Safe Spaces Act, a university representative wanted the IRR to specify the responsibilities of schools in resolving sexual harassment cases, and that it must include the detailed guides about administrative due process and define the solution in resolving these kinds of cases.
It helps that our youth’s awareness is raised and they have become vigilant in protecting each other from sexual abuse. From the teachings of our Church, sexual harassment is a clear violation of dignity of man because it objectifies a person to be used only for desire and to abuse. This usually occurs even in workplaces, wherein sexual harassment is seen as a way to humiliate women. It is good that there are laws that give equal responsibility among the people and those who lead institutions, to protect women against sexual harassment.
Brothers and sisters, if everyone complies with the apostle Saint Paul’s reminders to bestow upon everyone their just respect for their being, we would not need any laws. Saint Paul advises in his letter to Timothy, “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.”
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