By Jasmine Sarmiento
Cagayan de Oro City – The Zonta Club Cagayan de Oro 1 ( ZCCDO1) launched its first of a series of seminar-consultation on RA 9262 Defining Violence Against Women (VAWC) and their children and RA 9344 Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 held at the DCENT Center of IFI in Bulua, this city on June 24, 2023.
Dubbed as “HIbalo-e Imong Katungod”, is in partnership with Cagayan de Oro’s 1st District Councilor Imee Moreno, Bulua Barangay Chairman Al Legaspi, Jr. and Xavier University Center for Legal Assistance (XUCLA) .
It was participated in by more than 180 members composed of Solo Parents, Persons with Disability, Senior Citizens, Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC) Child Development Teacher and Mental Health Rescue Team.
Atty. Katrina Mordeno, past IBP President of Misamis Oriental Chapter, who served as the resource speaker of RA 9262 explained the relevant provisions, with concrete VAWC cases and appropriate actions in order to address the issue.
During the seminar, Mordeno pointed out the significant contribution of Zonta Club Cagayan de Oro 1 in empowering women and help eradicate the instances on VAWC. She said gender-based violence have left many women trapped with their abusers, isolated from social contact and support networks.
Mordeno said that increased economic precarity has further limited many women’s ability to leave abusive situations. However, she believed that by promoting safety and empowerment for all girls and women, can create a more just and safer world for everyone.
“Together, let’s continue our journey towards creating a more inclusive and just society, where every individual’s rights are protected” thus emphasized by former Mayor Atty. Oscar S. Moreno as the resource speaker on the significance of the Republic Act 9344 also known as the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006.
Moreno discussed the importance of this law in promoting the rights and well-being of children in conflict with the law, especially as it pertains to the experiences of young women and girls.
He said by advocating for fair and rehabilitative treatment, significant steps toward building a brighter future for them should be taken into consideration.
Moreno likewise focused on the age of responsibility of the child in conflict with the law. The child is not exempt from criminal liability at the age of 15 to 18 years old. The youth will be held liable if the court finds that he acted with discernment.
Discernment, he said is an essential element for the court to determine his criminal liability whether he is convicted or acquitted from his criminal act.
Highlights of the event was the consultation by several women to XUCLA volunteers with the supervision of Lawyer Bianca Andrea Bince. XUCLA is serving the poor, marginalized and disenfranchised sectors such as, among others women, children, labor, farmers and peasants, indigenous peoples and communities, The club’s seminar is in line with its biennium theme “Build a Better World for Women and Girls” with Roena Ibay-Bince, immediate past president of ZCCDO 1 as master of ceremony.
####
