Ms. Carmen Baquiran reads the spoken poetry on violence against women at home during the “The Unspoken Word. Ang VAW: Bigyang Wakas, Ngayon na ang Oras! on 23 November 2024, at the Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona.
(photo by Barcelona PCG)
BARCELONA, 23 November 2024 – The Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona unleashed powerful words to combat Violence Against Women or VAW with the program “The Unspoken Word. Ang VAW: Bigyang Wakas, Ngayon na ang Oras!” on 23 November 2024 in Barcelona.
A kickstarter to the 18-Day Campaign to End VAW, the program used free-verse poetry and visual imagery to raise public awareness about the challenging experiences faced by VAW victim-survivors.
Three spoken poetry performances by female members of the Filipino Community served as centerpiece to the event, each addressing different aspects of VAW: in public spaces and streets, in the workplace, and at home.
“We hope that these poetic presentations will foster compassion and concern for VAW victims while spreading awareness about the importance of addressing this issue. Statistics tell us that one in three women experience VAW, an unfortunate fact that our women experience, not just in the Philippines and Spain, but around the world. We may have been making progress, but the fight in ending VAW is still a long battle. And we all have a role to play to end it—when the best time to act would have been yesterday, we have the time now to act too!”, said Philippine Consulate General to Barcelona Maria Theresa S.M. Lazaro.
The program included short forums, video presentations, and audience interaction sessions between recitals to reinforce the messages.
The recitals were accompanied by live ambient acoustic guitar music, as well as a song performance of "Babae, Bumangon Ka" of the Philippine Commission on Women, underscoring the resilience and strength of women in the face of adversity.
Newly arrived Philippine Labor Attaché to Madrid Atty. Angela Librado-Trinidad also joined the session highlighting that when it comes to sexual harassment, “if a recipient feels not comfortable from inappropriate comments or behaviors, it may qualify as harassment, even if the perpetrator did not intend harm or sees their actions as harmless jokes”.
“Sexual harassment is defined not by the intent of the perpetrator but by the impact it has on the recipient. Thus, we should not be afraid to call out or speak up when we believe that harassment is lurking around us,” added the Consulate’s GAD Alternate Focal Person Vice Consul Lee Gano.
Filipino community member in Barcelona and domestic abuse survivor Gazelle Rodemia Cajurao Peliña shared her powerful journey in an abusive marriage in the Philippines and her courageous path to freedom and continuous healing. She urged, “Huwag tayong matakot na humingi ng tulong. Marami sa mga biktima ay matiisin o blinded na sila ay nasa abusive relationship na pala; nobody deserves to live in fear of their partner kaya importante na mayroon tayong nakakausap at nahihingan ng tulong.”
The “Unspoken Word” is a project of the Philippine Consulate under its Gender and Development banner inspired by the local Filipino community’s artistic and creative efforts to raise dialogues on critical social issues, particularly on gender equality.
For more information and updates, please visit the Consulate's official website or follow on Facebook, Instagram and X (@PHinBarcelona).
Ms. Gazelle Rodemia Cajurao Peliña, Filipino community member in Barcelona and domestic abuse survivor, offers her story as an eyeopener to the realities of violence lurking in every society. She urged, “Huwag tayong matakot na humingi ng tulong. Marami sa mga biktima ay matiisin o blinded na sila ay nasa abusive relationship na pala; nobody deserves to live in fear of their partner kaya importante na mayroon tayong nakakausap at nahihingan ng tulong.” (photo by Barcelona PCG)
Ms. Katrina Nonan (left photo) and Ms. Loremie Bautista (right photo) perform spoken poetry on VAW at work and on the street, respectively. Accompanying the poetries is acoustic guitar performed by Dr. Eris Navarro (on guitar, left photo)
(photo by Barcelona PCG)