FREQUENT CHANGING OF DECISION/INSUFFICIENT FINANCIAL SUPPORT

One participant revealed that frequently changing decisions is the most common
option, mainly when it affects your family or the person making it. Further, insufficient
financial support can also affect your decision.
While some decisions are time-consuming, high-risk, and might make you
feel worried, others are so simple that you hardly notice you're making them.
Everybody constantly makes decisions that can either positively or negatively impact the
person making them. They might choose the easiest or most popular choice rather than
the one that is best for them. Many people have received more money from the
government, private organizations, and private individuals, but occasionally it is
insufficient.
Hamon? Minsan po pabago-bago ang isip ng complainant, tapos yung ibang
pagkakagastusan lalo na yung pagpapa-xerox ng mga papel ako po mismo po yung
gumagastos, kumbaga in general po, kulang po ang pondo,mabu.. mabuti na lang po
mabait ang kapitan namin kaya minsan sa kanya po ako nagsasabi, ang isa pa pong
ma’am yung ginawa ko po yung mga folders tapos nadadala ko na po sa SSDD bigla
pong umaatras kaya yun…yun po talaga ang challenges ko bilang VAWC Officer po.
Challenge? Sometimes the complainant’s mind changes, then the other expenses
especially the Xeroxing of the paper’s, I am the one who spends, it seems that in general
there is not enough funds, fortunately our captain is kind so sometimes I’m saying it to
him. One thing more Ma’am, I did those folders and then I brought them to SSDD and
suddenly they retreated, so that’s really my challenges as a VAWC Officer.)
According to the research study of Koçtürk, N., & Bilginer, Ç. (2019) One-third of
the victims (30.1%) had withdrawn the complaint due to issues with the suspects, sexual
abuse, being recognized in the social circle, the court process' detrimental effects on their
mental health, starting over, and other factors.
In relation to insufficient support from the government, Vanderheijden, et al.,
(2020) mentions that due to the stigma attached to disabilities, barriers to accessibility, a
lack of training, limited resources, and insufficient funding, poor gender-based violence
services were provided for women with disabilities.
In addition, Artz, L. (2011) the process of asking for a protection order may
occasionally have the "boomerang effect," whereby the respondent (perpetrator)
escalates their violent behavior after receiving assistance. Victims of domestic violence
are often threatened with death or more violence if they initiate abuse; it is clear that there
are high risks associated with continuing the process this is why victims decided to retract
from the criminal justice, additionally, insufficient support from the criminal justice,
inconsistent and faulty application of the law by the police and other criminal justice
agents results in limiting the effect of the legislation, and discourages protection order
applicants from continuing the legal process. On the other hand, victims of domestic
violence are often caught in intractable personal situations that make it almost impossible
to take effective legal action.
In connection with the changes of decision, Estrich, S. (2018) states that
consideration of the prior relationship between the victim and the accused and the
circumstances of their initial contact presents the greatest problem. Prior relationship
cases often result in dismissal because of the withdrawal of the complaining witness.
Victim withdrawal in prior relationship cases is something of a self-fulfilling prophecy;
if that is so generally, it would seem particularly true in rape cases.

According to the research of Enrico R Rivano (2022) mentions that specific

problems and challenges regarding the implementation of VAW policies in barangays
included limited allocation and assistance provided by the local government unit and
limited partnerships and collaborations of the barangays with non-government
organizations (NGOs) and private institutions to campaign for the elimination of
violence against women at the barangay level.
In addition, Glenda D Dimaano, et al., (2018) reveals one of the reasons why
women change their decision, their study results revealed that the reluctance of the
victims to pursue their complaints and the victims’ tolerance of abuse are the problems
that boil down to culture. In connection to the victims’ reluctance to pursue the complaint,
issues like costly, lengthy litigation and corruption in the judiciary and prosecution exist.
These problems discourage the victims from filing formal complaints. In addition, there is
no established national free legal aid program from the government for financially
challenged women. In line of the above cited problems, the researchers recommend that
victims be referred to DSWD even if she does not file formal complaint.
Similarly, Tria Marie R. Garcia (2020) states on her study the fact that the
perpetrator is a family member or the woman’s husband/partner is another crucial factor
that hinders her from reporting, but for different reasons: fear of retaliation, economic
dependence, self-blame, or emotional attachment to the partner. According to the PNP
WCPC, QCPD, and the lawyer, the woman could be economically dependent on their
partner. She cannot afford to file a case or even live separately from him because she
has no means to support herself and her children. Another hindrance is the woman’s fear
of retaliation and power of the perpetrator. The perpetrator could have more money,
power, and connections that he could use to influence the case. The woman also fears
being hurt or violated even more once the perpetrator finds out she reported him to the
police. 42 According to the lawyer, if the perpetrator is the woman’s husband or partner,
her love and emotional attachment to him could also hinder her from turning him in. She
could be afraid of losing him and hopes that he will change for the better, or believes that
she still sees the side of him she fell in love with, or accepts the beating as his way of
showing love. She could also be concerned about maintaining his reputation and keeping
his job. The woman might also blame herself for the violence – she thinks that she
deserves the beating, or that if she improves herself the violence will stop. Moreover,
despite the existence of laws and services to address the issue, government services are
inadequate and merely responsive rather than preventive. Nongovernment organizations
and academics play a complementary role where the government services fall short.

According to Gibbs, A., et al., (2018) In terms of decision-making, this study

demonstrates how limited women's options are for leaving abusive relationships. There
are a lot of restrictions on women's freedom of movement and access to social safety
nets. Women who "run away" are thought to have tried to commit the "moral crime" of
Zina, which means either adultery or having sexual relations with someone outside of
marriage, even if there is no proof. Women survivors of sexual violence have also been
accused of committing zina. If caught, women would be punished through the formal
system (jail) or informal methods, and there have been many reports of women being
abused at the hands of mobs. Moreover, women have also been subjected to abusive
investigatory techniques by the police, including (scientifically invalid) 'virginity testing.'
This is the inability/insufficient of their government to protect the women in Afghanistan.

In addition to Sofia Virtudez (2020), in her reports mentions that victims decided
not to pursue her case due to victim-blaming, a prosecutor said (Why didn’t you come
forward sooner?)These are questions that rape and sexual assault survivors often hear
when they finally muster the courage and decide to open up about their otherwise
unspeakable ordeal. These remarks perpetuate the culture of victim-blaming and only
discourage victims from coming forward. Victim-blaming, which happens when
survivors are unjustly blamed and often held responsible for the crime committed
against them, induces feelings of powerlessness, shame, and guilt, she added.
Furthermore, a prosecutor states that these remarks are considered a failure of the
government to cater to the needs of victims.

According to Janice Du Mont and Deborah White (2007) the sexual assault of
adolescents and adults is a common, widespread and insidious problem that has serious
physical, psychological, emotional and social consequences. Anti-woman attitudes and
rape myths have fueled its prevalence and shaped the ways in which victims have been
treated by health services, the police, and the judiciary and in law. As a result, many have
chosen not to report their victimization or have been filtered out of criminal justice
systems, resulting in low charge-filing and conviction rates. The impact of blaming
resulted in the victim's decision not to report the victims decided not to say crime, and
additionally, it has a problem with the criminal justice the government.
References:

Koçtürk, N., & Bilginer, Ç. (2019). Negative reactions to the sexually abused
victims, withdrawing the complaint and outcomes of the litigation: the first
data from Turkey. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 30(1),
152-166.

Van der Heijden, I., Harries, J., & Abrahams, N. (2020). Barriers to gender-
based violence services and support for women with disabilities in Cape
Town, South Africa. Disability & Society, 35(9), 1398-1418.

Artz, L. (2011). Fear or failure: Why victims of domestic violence retract from the
criminal justice process. South African Crime Quarterly, 37, 3-10.

Estrich, S. (2018). Is it rape?. In Rape and Society (pp. 183-193). Routledge.

Enrico R Rivano (2022) Cases of Domestic Violence against Women in One

Municipality in the Philippines Input for a Propose Barangay Action Plan
https://www.ijsrm.in/index.php/ijsrm/article/download/3717/2522/11378.

Glenda M. Dimaano., Annie C. Clores., Abegail M Iloco., Leo Justine D. Javier

(2018) Prevalence of Domestic Violence against Women and Children in
the Philippines. https://j.ideasspread.org/index.php/hssr/article/view/170

Tria Marie R. Garcia (2020) Violence against Women in the Philippines.

Retrieved from https://nmbu.brage.unit.no/nmbu-
xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/2678663/Violence%20Against%20Women%
20in%20the%20Philippines%20-
%20MDS%20thesis%20Tria%20Garcia%202020.pdf?sequence=1.

Gibbs, A., Corboz, J., Shafiq, M., Marofi, F., Mecagni, A., Mann, C.,& Jewkes,
R. (2018). An individually randomized controlled trial to determine the
effectiveness of the Women for Women International Programme in
reducing intimate partner violence and strengthening livelihoods amongst
women in Afghanistan: trial design, methods and baseline findings. BMC
Public Health, 18(1), 1-13.
Sofia Virtudez (2020) Victim-blaming: Why Survivor’s of Sexual Violence won’t
come forward. Retrieved from
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:61ItxNrxNKAJ:
https://www.rappler.com/nation/266161-victim-blaming-why-survivors-
sexual-violence-not-come-forward/&cd=35&hl=fil&ct=clnk&gl=ph

Janice Du Mont and Debora White (2007) The uses and impacts of medico-
legal evidence in sexual assault cases: A global review.
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/43795/1/9789241596046_eng.pdf