Violence against women and girls in the Philippines: An ethnographic documentary (coming soon!)

Violence against women is widely recognized as a significant global problem, a major public health concern and one of the most widespread violations of human rights.

Violence against women, including domestic violence, is a universal phenomenon that persists in all countries and societies of the world, affecting all communities irrespective of race, gender, class, religion, cultural background or ethnicity. Nevertheless, there are cross-national and cultural variations.

Domestic violence directed toward women and girls is considered a serious and pervasive problem in the Philippines and an important antecedent of suicidal behavior.

Ethnographic explorations of experiences of gender-based violence and strategies to deal with this violence have important implications for practice.

This project aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the experience of domestic/family violence against Filipino women and girls. In particular, it will explore successful help strategies as well as barriers in receiving/providing help.

The experiences collected through this project will contribute to improving prevention strategies for violence against women and girls and suicidal behaviour, while also representing a powerful medium for advocacy and public awareness -both in the Philippines and beyond.

A collaboration between the Centre for Mental Health, Global and Cultural Mental Health Unit (The University of Melbourne), AWIT Foundation and the National Center for Mental Health in the Philippines.