Advisers

Flordaliza M. Gabbaoan, RCrim, MSCJ

Discipline

Criminology

Abstract

Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) remains a pressing social and human rights issue in the Philippines, cutting across socioeconomic status, and community boundaries. Despite the existence of protective laws such as Republic Act No. 9262, or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004, many cases continue to be underreported due to fear, stigma, economic dependence, and limited awareness of legal remedies. Within the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Women and Children Protection Desk and its operational units, commonly known as the Women and Children Concern Section (WCCS), are tasked with handling VAWC-related complaints, conducting investigations, and facilitating legal processes. This research aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the WCCS in handling VAWC cases in Barangay Batasan Hills, Quezon City. The study employed a quantitative descriptive research design to systematically assess the perceived effectiveness of the WCCS in managing VAWC cases. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency counts, percentages, and weighted means, to determine the overall level of effectiveness of the WCCS in the three performance areas. To identify whether significant differences existed among the assessments of the three respondent groups, the Kruskal–Wallis H-test was employed. The results revealed that the Women and Children Concern Section (WCCS) demonstrated a high level of effectiveness, as evidenced by the excellent ratings received in the areas of reporting, investigation, and intervention. Furthermore, the study identified several key challenges affecting the handling of Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) cases, including limited community awareness of relevant laws and available services, fear of stigma and retaliation among victims, increasing caseloads, manpower constraints, and delays in judicial proceedings. The study indicates that the Women and Children Concern Section (WCCS) is effectively performing its mandate in handling Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) cases, particularly in the areas of reporting, investigation, and intervention. However, the presence of statistically significant differences in respondents’ assessments suggests varying perceptions of service delivery, which may be influenced by differences in roles, expectations, and levels of community engagement.

Keywords

Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC), Women and Children Concern Section (Wccs), Police Performance, Victim Protection, Case Handling