Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) officials are calling for a shift in how Filipinos view domestic discipline, linking the nation’s high rate of violence against women and children to the early use of corporal punishment.

DSWD Protective Service Bureau officer Carol Nuyda reported that the Philippine National Police (PNP) recorded 6,883 cases of violence against women and children between August and November 2025 alone.

Nuyda argued that these statistics reflect deeply ingrained cultural norms, noting that the use of corporal punishment at a tender age conditions children to accept violence as a legitimate form of discipline.

The DSWD cited a 2024 World Health Organization report warning that children raised in violent households are more likely to suffer emotional disturbances and develop violent tendencies themselves.

It also noted that intimate partner violence often leads to parental neglect, which in turn increases morbidity rates among infants and children.

While the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004, known as RA 9262, is the primary tool for prosecution, Nuyda clarified that its protections extend to same-sex relationships, including lesbian partners. She also noted that while RA 9262 is gender-specific, male victims of abuse are protected under the Revised Penal Code.

Addressing the “Man Box” stigma — a societal expectation for men to remain silent about their suffering — officials cited data from the Domestic Violence Services Network suggesting that one in four men experiences emotional, physical, or financial harm. Nuyda urged victims to look beyond “barangay-level” settlements, which often result in temporary reconciliations rather than legal justice.

She encouraged the use of specialized resources such as the PNP Women and Children’s Desks, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Public Attorney’s Office, and the Department of Justice. Victims may also seek help through crisis centers and women’s desks in public hospitals or local government units.