Gender-Related Violence in Philippine Schools: Issues, Challenges, and Trajectories

Abstract

Violence associated with gender is against human rights and can occur anywhere in the world. The purpose of this study was to raise awareness and to identify gender-related violence, GRV in Philippine Schools, and to suggest mechanisms in the academy to reduce, if not eradicate, such violence. A survey questionnaire and unstructured interviews involving three hundred and seventy teachers (370) from the three (3) key regions of the Philippines, namely Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, were used to collect the data. To confirm the results and derive more personal perspectives, unstructured interviews were conducted with selected subject-participants. Gender-related violence, GRV, occurs and is not limited to sexual or physical assaults in schools and/or workplaces; it can occur in many ways. Men/boys, women/girls, and homosexuals may be the victims: gays and lesbians. Due to some causes or factors which deserve attention, gender-related violence against teachers has become a silent national crisis. Efforts should resolve the grounds that through increased knowledge and education, foster violence between both sexes. Data revealed that educators need their rights as students, as women, or as solo parents to be mentored, counseled, and coached. Finally, school-based, school-wide violence reduction interventions for teachers and students need to be enforced appropriately, which would serve as an effective strategy for equitable, compassionate, and peaceful resolution of gender-related violence and abuses.