WEDPRO, Inc.

The Philippines may well be the pioneer in women's legislation in the Asia-Pacific region once the proposed Magna Carta of Women is approved by the two houses of Congress. Initiated by women and gender advocates who are active in the processes around the Convention on the Elimination on All Form of Discrimination (CEDAW), the bill aims to strengthen the existing constitutional provisions and special laws on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Statistics on Violence Against Women and Children:
A Morally Rejuvenating Philippine Society?

by Dr. Romulo A. Virola
Secretary General, NSCB

We do not enjoy reading sensationalized stories on victims of violence, especially women and children, and we doubt whether gory media reporting of details of such crimes is protected by its responsibility to provide information to the public. In fact, we doubt if it contributes to the prevention, and if it at all, to the upliftment of our society. But we must know and talk about violence against women and children if we are to break the culture of silence that is conducive to the perpetration and perpetuation of these sins of modern society.

“ang pagbabalik ni sandra”
sandra B.torrijos' arts workshop

Organized by WEDPRO, Inc.

Sandra B. Torrijos, renowned feminist artist, has been called “an artist of synergies”. Her last exhibit was called Divine Fusion (Conspiracy Bar, March 2006), organized by SARILAYA and WEDPRO in celebration of International Women’s Month.

Fresh from her stay in Germany where she painted and mounted exhibitions, Sandra now returns and bursting with energy, she has offered to do a four-session series of arts workshop this July until August 2008.

MANILA, Philippines -- Amendments to the anti-sexual harassment law are being pushed by lawmakers at the House of Representatives who are seeking to update the definition of the offense, especially in the workplace, and the imposition of stronger penalties.

Gabriela Representatives Liza Maza and Luzviminda Ilagan said amendments were needed because even with the existence for over a decade of the anti-sexual harassment law or Republic Act 7877, convictions were few.

The World Social Forum: Past Achievements, Present Dilemmas, and Future Hopes is a community forum on the WSF, global coalition movements, and local activisms. The event begun with a keynote address by leading world-systems and anti-systemic movements scholar Immanuel Wallerstein on the World Social Forum in historical perspective, and was followed by a dozen respondents from the Bay Area representing a range of social justice movements who will speak to questions of local and transnational challenges and possibilities for organizing global coalition networks.