In a bid to spread awareness regarding the reality of domestic and intimate-relationship violence (DIV) in the city, a twelve-day signature campaign launched November 25 by local non-government organization Save Our Women at SM City Baguio and Sitel garnered a total of 8,090 verified signatures of men and women who pledged not to commit, condone or remain silent about DIV, exceeding this year’s target of 7,500 signatures.  More than 5,000 white ribbons were also given out for free to those who wished to make a more concrete stand against DIV by wearing the anti-violence ribbon until December 10, in observance of the International 16-Day Campaign for the Elimination of Violence against Women (VAW).  The results of the signature campaign will be submitted to UN Women’s “Say No - Unite to End VAW” as Baguio City’s part in the whole world’s response against VAW.

To culminate Save Our Women’s Fifth Annual White Ribbon Campaign, the First Women’s Summit on DIV was held on December 8 at Baguio City Hall.  The half-day meeting of minds was participated in by 111 women from various regional and local government agencies, civic organizations, schools and barangays who, after participating in a revelation exercise and watching films on the dark side of being just an ordinary bystander, discussed ways of actively getting involved in helping to prevent or to stop domestic and intimate-violence that they might be experiencing or witnessing.  The Summit did not concentrate on the usual expected lectures on gender sensitivity and equality or the laws against VAW; instead, it allowed the participants to actively speak on experiences, thoughts and ideas, most of which were geared toward how women should stand up for other women’s rights and how they should speak up against DIV being done to their fellow women, instead of conforming to common standards of non-involvement.

The 16-day White Ribbon Campaign is an annual awareness program of four-year old Save Our Women, and this year’s activities were actively supported by the GEAD Council of the City Government of Baguio, Zonta Club of Baguio, the joint Class 77 of SLGHS and SLULBHS, SM City Baguio and Sitel Sites 2 and 3.

Meanwhile, to spread awareness among the youth, a poster-making competition is on-going until January 20, 2012 with the theme “How a Real Man Should Be”.  Interested artists from 14 to 21 years old are invited to visit the Facebook site of “Save Ourwomen” to get more details.