House okays bill punishing ‘electronic violence’ against women, children
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Tue, 04 Feb 2020 13:04:25 +0000
THE House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill defining electronic violence against women and their children and prescribing corresponding penalties.
Voting 227-0-0 on Tuesday, lawmakers passed House Bill 5869 or the proposed Expanded Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act.
The bill seeks to amend Section 3, paragraph (a) of Republic Act (RA) 9262 (the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004) by defining psychological violence as acts or omission which “may be committed through physical, verbal, emotional, electronic or information communication technology (ICT)-related means or other means causing or likely to cause the mental or emotional suffering of a woman and her children such as intimidation, harassment, stalking, damage to property, public ridicule or humiliation, verbal abuse and marital infidelity.”
It further amends the provision to read as follows: “It includes the act of causing or coercing a woman and her children to witness the physical, sexual or psychological abuse of a member of the family to which the woman and her children belong, or to witness pornography in any form or to witness abusive injury to pets or to unlawful or unwanted deprivation of the right to custody and/or visitation of common children.”
The fact sheet regarding the bill stated in part that the bill would impose the penalty of prision mayor “for acts causing and threatening electronic violence against a woman and her children”.
Under the bill, electronic violence or ICT-related violence is defined as “any act or omission involving the use or exploitation of data or any form of information and communications technology which causes or is likely to cause mental, emotional, or psychological distress or suffering to the woman and her children…”
The bill seeks to amend Section 5 of RA 9262 by including inflicting electronic violence and threatening to cause electronic violence among the acts of violence against women and their children. REINA C. TOLENTINO