DOHA 10 December 2023 – In observance of the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women, the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in the State of Qatar co-organized a seminar on understanding VAW and the various mechanisms to address it on 09 December 2023 at the Katara Cultural Village in Doha. 

Entitled “United to End Violence Against Women: A VAW Awareness Seminar and Empowerment Self-Defense Session,” the event was held in partnership with the Katara Cultural Village Foundation, Global Public Diplomacy Network (GPDnet), and AMAN Center (Protection and Rehabilitation Center) under the Ministry of Social Family Affairs and Development.

The event saw the participation of representatives from partner institutions in Qatar and the expatriate Filipino community.

In her opening remarks, Philippine Ambassador to the State of Qatar H.E. Lillibeth V. Pono said that “while progress has been made on various fronts to address the pervasiveness of VAW, a lot still needs to be done.” 

She added that “governments, institutions, as well as private individuals would need to work together more closely to reduce incidents of VAW, or even eradicate such incidents entirely.”

The seminar featured discussions by Ms. Cathy Torres, previously of UN Women, on VAW and its various manifestations, as well as by Ms. Sunny Graff, a feminist martial arts practitioner and trainer, on empowerment self-defense and confidence-building as a key strategy for the prevention of VAW.

Representatives from the Migrant Workers Office-Qatar, the Embassy’s Assistance to Nationals Section, and AMAN Center also provided  information on existing mechanisms and relevant programs designed to address VAW.

An initiative originally institutionalized in 2006, the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women integrates the efforts of all Philippine government agencies, including Philippine embassies all over the world, to actively support and participate in the protection of human rights of women against violence and all other forms of discrimination.

For more information, visit dohape.dfa.gov.ph, facebook.com/PHinQatar, or instagram.com/phinqatar.