Gabriela expressed alarm over the continuing and intensifying cases of violence against women and children in the Philippines.

Starting the year alone, reports of violence against women and children have surged nationwide. According to the group, the new incidents making the news are examples of the horrific cases that mark this epidemic. These include the case of a woman from Bacolod shot by her live-in partner; another stabbed by her husband; and a woman killed by her live-in partner, whose body was stuffed into a plastic storage box and thrown into a river in Camarines Norte. Cases of rape were reported involving a 13-year-old girl in Pasig and a 15-year-old girl in Makati. An assistant photographer in Muntinlupa was arrested for acts of lasciviousness. A public school teacher in Tondo is under investigation for child abuse. Artificial intelligence is also reportedly being used to exploit women and children. Meanwhile, an ongoing investigation involves a Manila police officer accused of rape.

The group said each news report represents a destroyed life—symptoms of a deeply rooted patriarchal and violent system. It exposes a society in crisis under a regime that fails to uphold women’s rights and protect the most vulnerable.

“These incidents do not just emerge without cause. These result from a rotten system that devalues women and children, normalizes misogyny, and allows impunity to prevail, while public funds that should protect and provide services for women are lost to corruption,” Gabriela secretary general Clarice Palce explained. “Violence against women and children clearly continues and intensifies because the state lacks the political will to confront its roots and deliver immediate justice to victims. Worse, the state itself perpetrates these acts of violence.”

The group urged all victims and survivors of abuse to speak out and join the struggle for the rights of women and children.

“We call on all women to unite, organize, and fight. Our collective voice is our strongest weapon. We must stand together and struggle for a society where women and children are free from fear and violence,” Palce said.