Regis Cebu Leadership Call to Arms Speech My Passion by Leader Gem S. Reuyan

Dear Prof. Jorge,

Written below is my Passion.

Regards,

G Reuyan

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Regis Cebu Leadership:  My Passion by Leader Gem S. Reuyan

A CALL TO ARMS AGAINST VIOLENCE TO WOMEN AND CHILDREN

Violence against women and children is a nightmare I am most aware of and a nightmare I fervently aspire to stop from taking place in the lives of others. My experience with this advocacy came to me in an indirect and vicarious way. I am happy I'm not and never was a victim of such violence. But the pain and agony as well as the dismal reality of violence was brought home to me when I started law school and when as a lawyer,  women came to me bringing with them their appalling stories and an ardent plea for help.

I first heard the story of Marivic way back in law school. She was a schoolteacher who was married to a husband whose temperament is comparable to the riotous typhoons of the Pacific. The almost two decades of Marivic's marriage was riddled with violent episodes some of which pushed Marivic to the brink of death. But Marivic was one brave soul. She managed to put up a brave face in front of her class in school to give the kids a semblance of a normal placid reality   – a façade that conceals the gruesome nightmare behind the curtain of a seemingly benign marital life. Episode after episode of violence from day to day finally drove Marivic into killing her husband. Prosecuted in court for parricide Marivic, blamed herself for her fate…telling the court that it was all her fault.

Studies will show that domestic violence against women and children is high compared than to male victims. Mental experts likewise say that a woman who suffers from battered woman syndrome believe that:

·         the violence was her fault

·         is unable to place the responsibility for the violence elsewhere

·         fears for her life and/or her children's lives

·         has an irrational belief that the abuser is omnipresent and omniscient.

Because of this prevalent mentality many if not most women easily get caught up in a vicious cycle of violence.

But has anything been done? Is our government aware of this?

Well, in 2006, Congress passed into law Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Law. This law however did not eradicate or at least minimize the incidents of domestic violence. Cases are still in a continuous rise despite harsher penalties and institutionalized mechanisms to address the evils of domestic violence.

And violence can take many forms. People recognize easily physical violence but neglect that violence can come in the form of verbal abuse, psychological violence or economic abuse which leave deep emotional injuries not easily seen by the vast majority.

I remember the case of Maria (not her real name). In my first year as a lawyer, this working mother of two approached me seeking redress for what she describe to me was an oppressive relationship with her lawfully wedded husband. Day in and day out she works herself to the point of exhaustion just to provide for the family only to come home to a husband either drunk or using drugs. Maria's journey which I became her privileged companion ended well. I won the court battle for her, hopefully I won her mind and heart too!

But recently, two women Ann and Liza ((not their real names) came to me for help. Both are married and have kids. The former was abandoned left on her own to fend for herself and her two very young children, the latter was put to public humiliation because of the philandering ways of her husband. I told them that they have legal recourses. But both of them are hesitant for the same reason…they need their husbands.

In the faces and in the narratives shared to me by these women I can sense the helplessness and the dilemma that tears their consciences apart. Many women despite the existence of several laws protecting and enhancing their rights are still stuck to their miserable conditions. It is my vision that the violence would stop. I see it in the near future by banishing ignorance and by making women more resilient. This I plan to do in a two-pronged approach. I will dedicate my life to making  women well informed of their rights and then empowering them by giving them financial independence. It is in this accord that I will undertake to educate women of their rights.  I will also create a facebook account or a website for this purpose. Second, I will coordinate with an NGO for assistance in providing a livelihood program for women. I will start it in my husband's hometown where rampant cybercrime victimizes so many children and women. This I hope to accomplish in my own little way.

Know that, domestic violence is a slow lingering sure death for many women who suffer in silent anguish. Although not all end in tragic physical death but many are living like zombies trapped in a world of meaningless agony. The law and the judicial process is not enough to eradicate this menace in our society. That's why I am here in front all of you to bare the sad plight of many women today who suffer in silence. I am here in front of you today as a voice for all the women who have none or lost the tenacity to speak up for themselves.. I enjoin you to join me in this noble endeavor and crusade. Herculean the task maybe, but it's worth all the while in the world. Let us together empower the women…so that those in the darkness may see the brilliance of their own light. Let us rise up against violence. END VIOLENCE NOW!