RA 9262 – Violence Against Women and their
Children woman or child.
Any act or series of acts committed by any person
against a woman who is his
- Wife
- Former wife
- Woman with whom he had a sexual
relationship
o Single sexual act is enough, which
may or may not result into the
bearing of a common child
- Dating relationship
o Parties live together as husband
and wife without the benefit of
marriage; or
o Are romantically involved over
time and on a continuing basis
during the course of the
relationship
o Note: A casual acquaintance or
ordinary socialization between
two individuals in a business or
social context is not a dating
relationship
- With a common child
- Against the woman’s child whether
legitimate or illegitimate
Punishable acts
1. Causing physical harm to the woman or
her child;
a. Includes:
i. Threatening
ii. Attempting
2. Placing the woman or her child in fear of
imminent physical harm
3. (1) Attempting to compel or
compelling the woman or her child to
engage in a conduct which the woman has
the right to desist from or conduct which
the woman or her child has the right to
engage in, or (2)attempting to restrict
or restricting the woman’s or her child’s
freedom of movement or (3) conduct by
force or threat of force, physical or other
harm or threat of physical or other harm,
or intimidation directed against the
This shall include, but not limited to, the
following acts committed with the
purpose of controlling or restricting the
woman’s or her child’s movement or
conduct:
i. Threatening to deprive or actually
depriving the woman or her child
of custody to her/his family;
ii. Depriving or threatening to
deprive the woman or her
children of financial support
legally due her or her family, or
deliberately providing the
woman’s children insufficient
financial support;
iii. Depriving or threatening to
deprive the woman or her child of
a legal right;
iv. Preventing the woman in
engaging in any legitimate
profession, occupation,
business or activity or
controlling the victim’s own
money or properties, or solely
controlling the conjugal or
common money or properties
4. Inflicting or threatening to inflict
physical harm on oneself for the
purpose of controlling her actions or
decisions
5. Causing or attempting to cause the
woman or her child to engage in any
sexual activity which does not
constitute rape, by force or threat of
force, physical harm, or through
intimidation directed against the woman
or her child or his/her immediate family
6. Engaging in purposeful, knowing, or
reckless conduct, personally or through
another that alarms or causes
substantial emotional or psychological
distress to the woman or her child.
 Includes, but not limited, to the following
acts:
a. Stalking or following the woman
or her child in public or private
places;
b. Peering in the window or
lingering outside the residence of
the woman or her child;
c. Entering or remaining in the
dwelling or on the property of the
woman or her child against
her/his will;
7. Causing mental or emotional anguish,
public ridicule or humiliation to the
woman or her child, including, but not
limited to:
a. repeated verbal and emotional
abuse
b. Denial of financial support or
custody of minor children of
access to the woman’s child
Elements of the crime of violence against women
through harassment are:
1. Offender has or had sexual or dating
relationship with the offended woman;
Note: It is immaterial that the
relationship had ceased for as long as
there is sufficient evidence showing
the past or present existence of such
relationship between the offender and the
victim when the physical harm was
committed
2. Offender, by himself or through another,
commits an act or series of acts of
harassment against the woman; and
3. The harassment alarms or causes
substantial emotional or psychological
distress to her.
A single act of harassment is enough to convict an
offender. A single act of harassment, which
translates into violence, would be enough.
Four acts included:
1. Physical violence
2. Economic abuse
3. Psychological violence – any bodily or
physical harm
4. Sexual violence – an act which is sexual in
nature, committed against a woman or
her child.
Includes but not limited to the ff:
a. Rape
b. Sexual harassment
c. Acts of lasciviousness
d. Treating a woman or her child as a
sex object
e. Making demeaning and sexually
suggestive remarks
f. Physically attacking the sexual parts
of the victim’s body
g. Forcing her/him to watch obscene
publications and indecent shows
h. Forcing the woman or her child to do
indecent acts and/or make films
thereof
i. Forcing the wife and mistress/lover
to live in the conjugal home or sleep
together in the same room with the
abuser
j. Acts causing or attempting to cause
the victim to engage in any sexual
activity by force, threat of force,
physical or other harm or threat of
physical or other harm or coercion
k. Prostituting the woman or child