House approves expanded VAWC bill

THE House of Representatives approved on third and final reading the bill that seeks to protect women and their children from all forms of electronic violence.

Some 207 lawmakers said yes to House Bill No. 8655, also known as the “Expanded Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children (EVAWC) Act”, on Monday, December 10.

The bill amends the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004 to define psychological violence as acts that may be committed through physical, verbal, emotional, electronic or information communication technology (ICT) related or other means causing or likely to cause mental or emotional suffering of the woman and her children such as intimidation, harassment, stalking, verbal abuse and marital infidelity.

The bill defined ICT-related violence as any act involving the use or

exploitation of electronic data which causes mental, emotional or psychological distress such as: unauthorized recording, distribution or uploading of any photograph, video, showing the woman and her children’s private parts and scenes showing sexual intercourse and the likes; unauthorized use or sharing of the woman and her children’s photograph, video, voice and name; stalking which includes the hacking of personal accounts on social media; fabricating fake news through text