27/03/2026
๐๐ฏ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฉ๐๐ช๐ ๐๐ฎ๐
Mothers who abuse their children can be offenders under the Anti- Violence Against Women and Their Children (VAWC) Act, and fathers can apply for remedies under the law on behalf of the abused children.
Citing Section 3 of the VAWC Act, the Court noted that โviolence against women and childrenโ was defined in the law as abusive acts โcommitted by any person.โ
โThe statute used the gender-neutral word โpersonโ as the offender which embraces any person of either sex,โ noted the Court.
A mother who maltreated her child resulting in physical, sexual, or psychological violence defined and penalized under RA No. 9262 is not absolved from criminal liability notwithstanding that the measure is intended to protect both women and their children.
The Court refuses to be an instrument of injustice and public mischief perpetrated against vulnerable sectors of the society such as children victims of violence. The Court will not shirk its bounden duty to interpret the law in keeping with the cardinal principle that in enacting a statute, the legislature intended right and justice to prevail.
๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ป๐๐๐๐ผ๐ป, ๐ฉ๐. ๐๐ผ๐ป. ๐๐น๐ถ๐๐ฎ ๐ฅ. ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ผ-๐๐น๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐, ๐.๐ฅ. ๐ก๐ผ. ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฑ. ๐๐๐น๐ ๐ญ๐ฎ, ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฎ
