The Philippines judiciary has presented before the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland the efforts being undertaking by the government to enhance and protect women’s rights.
Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Maria Theresa Mendoza-Arcega, chairperson of the Justice Sector Coordinating Council (JSCC) technical working group on communications and partnership building, and deputy court administrator (DCA) Jenny Lind R. Aldecoa-Delorino, made the presentation during the recent 2004th Constructive Dialogue on UN ‘s Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (UN-CEDAW).
CEDAW is an international treaty adopted in 1979 by the UN’s General Assembly. It is described as an “international bill of rights for women.”
The Philippines is the first country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to sign CEDAW in July 1980. The treaty was ratified in August 1981.
They presented the progress and efforts being done by the Philippine justice system, through the JSCC, to realize the core intent and goals of the UN-CEDAW.
The JSCC was set up in 2010 and composed of the Supreme Court (SC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
It serves as a joint forum for dialogue on issues of common interest and a mechanism for effective coordination and sharing of information in support of the planning and the implementation of joint initiatives among justice sector institutions, the SC said.
The JSCC has set up 11 Justice Zones in the country, described as venues “where key programs relating to the delivery of justice are in place to maximize coordination among the different agency actors to address the perennial issue of delay and the greater problem of accountability,” Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo had earlier said.
Justice Mendoza-Arcega and Delorino told the participants to the dialogue in Geneva that the various programs of the Philippine justice system “are specifically designed to eradicate gender-based discrimination, promote enhanced access to justice for the underprivileged, foster a courtroom environment that is equitable and sensitive to gender issues, and diligently adhere to international standards and conventions to safeguard due process, uphold the equality of rights, and ensure the preservation of human dignity.”
They also said that under the judiciary’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022- 2027 (SPJI), the SC will commission two separate studies on Feminism in the Judiciary and on Gender Representation and Mobility in the Judiciary as component programs.
The studies, they said, “will address the need to identify problems at the interaction of sexuality and law to aid in developing reforms and policies towards correcting gender injustice and gender-responsive remedies, as well as providing corrective measure to overcome biases, inequalities, and discrimination.”
Among the other initiatives being undertaken by the Philippines judiciary in the Philippines’ commitment to women’s rights and justice were: comprehensive trainings and seminars, spearheaded by the Philippine Judicial Academy, which focus on legal frameworks and protocols that bolster women’s rights protection; enhanced Justice on Wheels project, which aims to amplify physical accessibility to justice in remote rural areas while also equipping barangay officials with the requisite skills to resolve community disputes and shield vulnerable women and children from harm; revised Guidelines for Continuous Trial of Criminal Cases, which safeguards and enhances the constitutional right of individuals to expeditious adjudication of criminal proceedings; revised Law Student Practice Rule, which allows aspiring lawyers to extend legal aid to women and children who might otherwise remain unrepresented; and rigorous enforcement of the Implementing Rules and Regulations pertaining to the Social Aspects of the Family Courts Act of 1997.