MANILA, Philippines — Sagip Babae Foundation was recently launched, aiming to offer safe spaces for women who have suffered from and survived domestic violence, sexual harassment, and abuse in its myriad forms.
The foundation will stress on granting aid and relief for these women in the aftermath of their ordeal because such experiences can have severe short- or long-term effects on victims’ mental health.
The overall socioeconomic effects of the pandemic have created situations that render women more vulnerable to abuse. A recent study by the Commission of Population and Development (POPCOM) found that 25% of surveyed Filipino adults consider violence against women as one of the more critical issues during the current health crisis.
The deleterious effects of abuse likewise resonate with Sagip Babae founders Francesca Fugen and Melissa Rina Profeta’s own life experiences. They cite their personal trauma, as well as those of women they have helped, as their inspiration for starting Sagip Babae. Fugen and Profeta hope to provide comforting assistance to women victims, aged 18 and above, from all over the country.