The Effects of Gender- Bias among LGBT on

Humanities and Social Sciences Students in

Catanduanes National Highschool (CNHS)

Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
This chapter consist the background of the study, statement of
the problem, scope and delimitation, importance of the study,
and the definition of terms.

Background

Schools should be safe places for everyone. But in the Philippines, students who are
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) too often find that their schooling experience is
marred by bullying, discrimination, lack of access to LGBT- related information, and in some
cases, physical or sexual assault. These abuses can cause deep and lasting harm and curtail
students’ right to education, protect under Philippine and international law.
In recent years, lawmakers and school administrators in the Philippines have recognized
that bullying of LGBT youth is a serious problem, and designed interventions to address it. In
2012, the Department of Education (DepEd), which oversees and primary and secondary
schools, enacted a Child Protector Policy designed to address bullying and discrimination in
schools, including sexual orientation and gender identity. The following year, Congress passed
the Anti-Bullying Law of 2023, with implementing rules and regulations that enumerate sexual
orientation and gender identity as prohibited grounds for bullying and harassment. The adoption
of these policies sends a strong signal that bullying, and discrimination are unacceptable and
should not be tolerated in educational institutions. But these policies, while strong on paper, have
not been adequately enforced. In the absence of effective implementation ad monitoring, many
LGBT youth continue to experience bullying and harassment in school. The adverse treatment
they experience from peers and teachers is compounded by discriminatory policies that
stigmatize and disadvantage LGBT students and by the lack of information and resources about
LGBT issues available in schools. (Edgar T., 2027)
 Gender-based violence is based on an imbalance of power
and is carried out with the intention to humiliate and make a
person or group of people feel inferior and/ or subordinate. This
type of violence is deeply rooted in the social and cultural
structures, norms and values that govern society, and is often
perpetuated by a culture of denial and silence. Gender-based
violence can happen in both the private and public spheres and it
affects women disproportionately.
Gender-based violence can be sexual, physical, verbal,
psychological (emotional), or socio-economic and it can take
many forms, from verbal violence and hate speech on the
Internet, to rape or murder. It can be perpetrated by anyone: a
current or former spouse/partner, a family member, a colleague
from work, schoolmates, friends, an unknown person, or people
who act on behalf of cultural, religious, state, or intra-state
institutions. Gender-based violence, as with any type of
violence, is an issue involving relations of power. It is based on
a feeling of superiority, and an intention to assert that
superiority in the family, at school, at work, in the community or
in society.
Definitions such as these apply to instances where gender is
the basis for violence carried out against a person. However,
there is more to gender than being male or female: someone may
be born with female sexual characteristics but identify as male,
or as male and female at the same time, or sometimes as neither
male nor female. LGBT+ people (lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and other people who do not fit the heterosexual
norm or traditional gender binary categories) also suffer from
violence which is based on their factual or perceived sexual
orientation, and/or gender identity. For that reason, violence
against such people falls within the scope of gender-based
violence. Furthermore, men can also be targeted with gender-
based violence: statistically, the number of such cases is much
smaller, in comparison with women, but it should not be
neglected. (Council of Europe)
Gender-based violence is violence rooted in gender inequality
and treatment of women and men. It occurs when a person
experiences or experiences abuse and hurt from his neighbor
who is often stronger or more powerful than he or she.
According to the 2017 National Demographic and Health
Survey, one in 20 women aged 15 to 49 have experienced abuse.
Anyone can be a victim; Whether you are a woman or a man,
young or old, married or single. Gender-based violence has a
significant impact when it comes to the physical and
physiological aspects of the victim. Violence and abuse of
victims can cause permanent disability from excessive beatings
and pain. It can also be caused by depression, anxiety or anxiety,
low self-confidence, and trauma that can result in suicide or
suicide. Abuse happens everywhere; at school, at work, in a
community, in the media, and even where most people think
they are safe – at home. (Cavite State University Main
Campus (Don Severino de las Alas) Indang (Cavite State
University Main Campus (1/27/2021))
Violence against women (VAW) appears as one of the country’s
pervasive social problems. According to the 2022 National
Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) conducted by the
Philippine Statistics Authority, 17.5% of Filipino women aged
15-49 have experienced any form of physical, sexual, and
emotional violence from their intimate partners. As of 2021,
there were 8,399 reported cases of physical violence, 1,791 on
rape, and 1,505 on acts of lasciviousness. It is alarming that
despite addressing the concern, VAW persists.
VAW is deemed to be closely linked with the unequal power
relation between women and men, otherwise known as “gender-
based violence.” Societal norms and traditions dictate people
think that men are the leaders, pursuers, and providers and take
on the dominant roles in society. At the same time, women are
the nurturers, men’s companions, and supporters, and they take
on subordinate roles in society. This perception leads men to
gain more power over women. Hence, VAW becomes a form of
men’s expression of control over women to retain power.
As defined by the UN Declaration on the Elimination of
Violence against Women (1993), VAW is “any act of gender-
based violence that results in or is likely to result in physical,
sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including
threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty,
whether occurring in public and private life. Gender-based
violence is any violence inflicted on women because of their
sex.”
According to Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against
Women and their Children Act of 2004, VAW is “any act or a
series of acts committed by any person against a woman who is
his wife, former wife, or against a woman with whom the person
has or had a sexual or dating relationship, or with whom he has a
common child, or against her child whether legitimate or
illegitimate, with or without the family abode, which result in or
is likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological harm or
suffering, or economic abuse including threats of such acts,
battery, assault, coercion, harassment or arbitrary deprivation of
liberty.”
VAW includes, but is not limited to, the following acts:
 Physical violence or the act that includes bodily harm
 Sexual violence or the act that is sexual in nature,
committed against a woman or her child
 Psychological violence or the act or omission that causes or
is likely to cause mental or emotional suffering of the
victim
 Economic abuse or the act that makes or attempts to make a
woman financially dependent
In the Philippines, some realities that contribute to the
vulnerability of Filipino women to VAW are being accused as
“naggers” or neglectful of their duties as a wife that is why they
are being beaten by their spouses or being raped due to their
“flirtatious” ways; in some instances, filing for sexual
harassment is interpreted by her employer as being malicious on
the appreciation of her good looks.
Moreover, an even more significant problem is the lack of
concrete information to show the extent of VAW in the country,
as many cases of violence against women often go unreported
due to women victims’ “culture of silence.” Many of the victims
are ashamed to relate their experiences. In contrast, others tend
to dismiss their ordeal due to their lack of faith in the country’s
justice system caused by frustrations over the lack of results in
filing complaints.

Several government mechanisms have already been put in place

to address VAW. Non-government organizations also take part
in this crusade. It is uncertain when this trend will diminish in
the Philippine setting, but if current efforts to fight VAW are
sustained, hope could be set high. (Philippines Commission on
Women)

Based on women's experiences with gender-based violence,

this causes them to lose self-confidence, also women can gain
more courage by the influenced of gender based.

Theoretical Framework

The impact of violence against women (VAW) is now well-

documented. It denies women their most basic human rights,
such as the right to health, and is a major threat to the social and
economic development of communities and whole countries. In
development terms, it directly endangers the achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals related to gender equality and
women’s empowerment, poverty reduction, infant and maternal
health and mortality, educational attainment, and combating
HIV and AIDS. But despite recognition within the development
community of the urgent need to tackle violence against women,
millions of women around the world continue to suffer violence
in the home and in the community, with devastating physical,
emotional, and psychological effects.1 Advocates for women’s
rights have campaigned hard over the years to bring the issue of
violence against women to the world’s attention. As a result of
their efforts, several states have taken significant steps at the
national level towards the eradication of violence against
women. However, these steps have primarily focused on
improving laws relating to violence against women. Far less has
been done to enforce legislation and to tackle the underlying
causes of the problem – the imbalance of power between women
and men and the way in which gender roles are articulated at all
levels of society. This chapter discusses some of the strategies
WOMANKIND Worldwide and its partner organizations have
used to tackle violence against women, within a broader
framework of challenging inequality and unequal power
relations between women and men.
The terms GBV and violence against women (VAW) are often
interchanged, but they are not synonymous. The Declaration on
the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993), defines
VAW as a sub-category of GBV: ‘Any act of gender-based
violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual
or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats
of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivations of liberty,
whether occurring in public or private life’.1 So, as well as
VAW, GBV encompasses, for instance, male violence against
gay men, the involvement of women in the phenomenon of
property grabbing, and harsh beatings of male pupils by male
teachers, also mentioned in this volume as a ‘performance of
aggressive masculinity’. There are problems with the term GBV,
both in itself and in the way, it is used by the international
development community. As Leach and Humphreys point out, it
implies that there are some types of violence that are not rooted
in gendered power relations, whereas they argue that all violence
is, in fact, gendered. They go so far as to call for a
reconsideration of the ‘female victim/male villain’ dichotomy.
While it is necessary to be precise in the way terms are used, and
avoid a short-hand elision of ‘GBV’ and ‘VAW’, it is also
important not to obscure the reality that, as Hayes points out in
her article, women and girls constitute the vast majority of GBV
victims, and men the majority of perpetrators. Other objections
to the term GBV are that it means little to non-gender specialists
and that it is a dry, technical term for a phenomenon that
violates basic human rights, causing vast pain, suffering, and
humiliation. (Terry Geraldine (2007-09-30)

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a term that generally refers to

any harmful threat or act directed at an individual or group
based on actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity, sex
characteristics, or sexual orientation. GBV encompasses, but is
not limited to, physical, sexual, psychological, emotional,
economic, and technological abuse or harm; threats of such acts;
harassment; coercion; and arbitrary deprivation of liberty. In
most cases, GBV is rooted in historical and ongoing structural
inequalities, the abuse of power, and harmful norms and
practices—including denial, tolerance, or silence in the face of
these harms—as well as situational power imbalances. GBV is
also compounded by other intersecting forms of discrimination
and bias. GBV is a term that is increasingly used at the global
level. While people of all genders may experience GBV, the
term is most often used to describe violence that
disproportionately impacts women and girls, as well as lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+)
persons. We expect this terminology to continue to evolve over
time, as our understanding of the nature and scope of GBV, and
our recognition of the lived experiences and perspectives of
victims and survivors, continue to evolve. GBV is a form of
discrimination and a public health crisis; it undermines safety,
health, wellbeing, economic security, and human rights. In
addition to its personal costs and individual impacts for victims
and survivors—including the risk of injury and death—GBV has
profound effects on children; burdens health and social service
systems; imposes direct and indirect costs on families,
communities, and economies; and affects development and
public health. In this Plan, GBV primarily refers to a range of
interpersonal violence across the life course, including: • Sexual
violence: Sexual activity when consent is not or cannot be
obtained or given freely. Sexual violence includes rape, sexual
assault, sexual harassment, and child sexual abuse; • Intimate
partner violence: Physical violence, sexual violence, stalking,
psychological aggression, economic abuse, or reproductive or
sexual health coercion by a current or former intimate partner.
Intimate partner violence is also commonly referred to as
domestic violence or dating violence, including teen dating
violence; • Stalking: Pattern of repeated harassing or threatening
behavior, causing fear, substantial emotional distress, or safety
concerns for the victim; and • Other interconnected forms of
violence and coercive control, including certain forms of human
trafficking, family violence, sexual exploitation, online
harassment and abuse, reproductive and sexual coercion,
substance use coercion, forced sterilization, female genital
mutilation and cutting, child, early, and forced marriage,
femicide, and gender-related hate crimes or killings. U.S. N
ATIONAL P LAN TO E ND G ENDER - B ASED V
IOLENCE This Plan focuses on preventing and addressing these
various forms of interpersonal violence not only as specific
incidents, but also as a social problem with causes and impacts
that require more comprehensive approaches and prevention
efforts. Furthermore, prevention efforts require addressing the
reality that although most men do not engage in GBV, most
GBV—particularly the most severe forms—is perpetrated by
men. GBV shares root causes with various forms of violence,
such as hate crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, or
gender identity. The Plan also complements other federal efforts
focused more specifically on addressing broader hate crimes and
other forms of discrimination based on sex, gender, gender-
identity, sex characteristics, or sexual orientation. No two
individuals’ experiences of GBV are the same. Systems and
service providers must be prepared to provide assistance to all
populations of survivors. Furthermore, many children and adult
GBV survivors have experienced “polyvictimization”—that is,
multiple and varied forms of violence and abuse throughout the
life course, ranging from childhood through older age. Centering
the strength, resilience, and lived experiences of survivors is
central to providing an effective and trauma-informed response.
Additionally, while GBV is useful as an umbrella term, not all
forms of GBV can be addressed or prevented with the same
approaches. Policies and programs must be appropriately
targeted to address specific forms of GBV, as well as address the
ways in which these different forms of GBV may intersect (for
instance, sex trafficking at the intersection with intimate partner
violence). One final note on terminology: this Plan uses the
terms “victim” and “survivor” to refer to individuals who have
experienced GBV. Both terms are important and have different
implications when used in the context of advocacy and service
provision. For example, the term “victim” has legal implications
within criminal justice, immigration, and other legal processes,
and usually refers to an individual who suffered harm as a result
of criminal or other harmful conduct. Many laws that give
individuals particular rights and legal standing use the term
“victim,” as does federal law enforcement. “Survivor” is a term
used widely by service providers and advocacy organizations to
recognize the strength and courage it takes to overcome
victimization. Individuals who have experienced GBV may
choose to refer to themselves as “victims,” “survivors,” or by
other designations; and this may change over the course of their
lifetimes, and may depend on whether they feel they have
healed, whether they feel justice was served, and whether they
have experienced additional harms. While “survivor” is the term
generally used in this Plan, both “victim” and “survivor” are
used throughout. (White House (June 16, 2023))
 Conceptual Framework

Participant’s The Effects of

knowledge, and Gender-Based
experiences with By giving some Violence on
the effects of questionnaires and women’s Social
gender-based interviews on the Lives among the
violence on respondence or HUMSS Students
women, along participants. Time in Catanduanes
with the effect on and hard works. National
their social lives. Highschool
(CNHS)

Statement of the Problem

This research aims to inform the women’s and the students
about the effects of gender-based violence on women’s social
lives among the students.

Specifically, this aims to answer the following questions:

1. How does the prevalence of gender-based violence among

female students impact their social relationships and
interactions within the academic setting?
2. What are the specific forms of gender-based violence
experienced by female students and how do these
experiences influence their social well-being and
integration within the student community?
3. What strategies and interventions can be implemented to
address and mitigate the negative effect of gender-based
 violence on women’s social lives among the student
population?

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This study was conducted during the second semester of the

school year 2023-2024. It will focus on providing information
about the effect of gender-based violence on women’s social
lives among the students.
This study only covered the students under the strand;
Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMMS) OF Catanduanes
National Highschool (CNHS). This study is limited to have five
students as respondents for the mentioned section: Systematic,
Reverence, Righteousness, Self-Reliance , since the researcher
would like to focus on the effect of Gender-Based Violence on
women’s Social lives among the HUMSS student in
Catanduanes National Highschool (CNHS) which include the
impact of the mentioned issue to the HUMSS students, and the
realizations of these HUMSS students. Moreover, the said
school is selected based on the proximity of its location, and the
convenience it may give to the researchers and to the said
respondents. This research will help us to understand what can
affect to our social lives and our mental health the gender-based
violence.

Significance of the Study

The purpose of this study was to determine the experience,

impacts, and the realization of the effect of gender-based
violence. The study will benefit and inform the following:
 Student. They will be aware on the gender-based violence.
They will also know how to overcome it and what they need
to do to prevent it. It also can help students to be more
confident in their ability if they’re able to experience this
violence.

Parents. They will be aware to their child about this issue and
it can help them to help their children cope with this violence.
It also can help to know if their children are experiencing this
kind of violence.

Teachers. The teachers will be aware that there is gender-base

that can affect the students. Because of that, they can use their
power as s teacher not tolerate this discrimination against their
students.

The Society. The study will serve as a wake-up call to all of

them, that this issue is not just a basic problem because this
problem can affect one person’s life.

Future Researcher/s. This study will have the experiences,

impact and realizations of HUMSS students. This will help
and benefit the future researcher that will conduct research
about the effect of gender-based violence on women’ social
lives among the students with the supporting studies have.

Overall, this study can help to know about the effect of

gender-based violence on every women’s and students’ lives and
to know how they can be aware of the effect. It can provide
insights that can help the students, parents, teachers, the society
and the future researcher in addressing the problem.

Definition of Terms

For the reader’s clearer understanding of the present study,

the following terms are defined operationally;

Gender-Based Violence. The term gender-based

violence (GBV) is used to describe any harmful act perpetrated
against a person based on socially ascribed/gender differences
between males and females. It includes acts of causing physical,
sexual or mental harm or suffering, or threats of such acts, and
other deprivations of liberty. GBV stems from unequal power
relations between men and women and the resulting
discrimination against women. While GBV can affect both
females and males, women and girls are disproportionally more
affected. The risk of GBV against women and girls further
increases in times of crisis. Some women and girls are at higher
risk, such as those with disabilities and those from the LGBTI+

community. (unicef)

Violence. Violence is a term that is often used in everyday

conversation and media. It is a multifaceted and complex
concept encompassing various behaviors and actions. Violence
is the power or coercion to physically, emotionally, or mentally
harm, damage, or abuse others. This blog post aims to
comprehensively understand violence by exploring its
definition, meaning, types, and causes. (Dr. Ashutosh
Tripathi (October 20,2023)
Social Lives. Social life or social lives are the
relationship and interaction that an individual has
with other people. This can include both personal
and professional interactions that are both positive
and negative. People are inherently social and
benefit from social life whereby it is an element of
learning, joy, self-fulfillment and personal
resilience. (Simplicable.com)
HUMSS. Humanities and social sciences are the
academic disciplines that study the various aspects
of human culture and society.

LINKS

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National-Plan-to-End-GBV.pdf
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violence
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