MANILA — As reports of abuse involving police and military personnel continue to surface, the Center for Women’s Resources (CWR) said that violence against women committed by men in uniform reflects a deeper culture of impunity within state institutions.
The women’s rights research and training institution condemned what it described as the continuing rise of state-perpetrated violence against women (VAW), calling on authorities to hold abusive police and military personnel accountable and end institutional practices that protect perpetrators.
CWR documented at least 40 cases of state-perpetrated VAW from 2022 to 2025 involving physical assault, rape, sexual harassment, molestation, domestic abuse, and the killing of women and children.
The group said that reports involving abusive police and military personnel surfaced almost monthly in 2025 alone, which women’s groups described as evidence of an entrenched culture of violence and impunity.
Violence behind the uniform
Public outrage intensified following the recent case of Aira Seda Dela Cruz after CCTV footage allegedly showed her husband, Police Officer Alimeri Dela Cruz, physically assaulting her inside their home in Malolos, Bulacan.
The video, which Aira herself publicly shared, allegedly showed the police officer repeatedly striking her until she lost consciousness.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) later relieved the officer from duty pending investigation.
“For every case that reaches the public, countless others remain hidden behind fear, intimidation, and institutional silence,” said CWR Executive Director Cham Perez.
“Cases like Aira’s are not isolated incidents,” Perez said. “They expose a systemic problem in institutions that continue to tolerate abuse within their ranks while failing to ensure justice for women survivors.”
CWR stressed that violence committed by state forces extends beyond domestic abuse cases.
The group said that state-perpetrated violence also includes custodial rape, sexual violence during military operations, harassment by state officials, abuse within police and military institutions, and violence against women and children in militarized communities.
Hidden numbers
CWR’s monitoring of official government data recorded at least 13,211 cases of violence against women in 2025, equivalent to around 36 women experiencing violence every day.
However, the group warned that the actual number of survivors may be higher.
According to estimates from the PNP Women and Children Protection Center, only one in 10 incidents of violence against women gets reported, which suggests that actual cases could exceed 130,000 annually.
CWR also raised alarm over what it described as the continuing failure of institutions to hold abusive personnel accountable.
“The uniform must never become a shield for abuse,” Perez said. “Women and children deserve protection, not violence from those mandated to uphold public safety and human rights.”
The group said that weak accountability mechanisms and institutional protectionism continue to reinforce impunity within state security institutions.
Calls for accountability
CWR called on the Marcos, Jr. administration, the Philippine National Police, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to implement measures to address abuse committed by men in uniform.
The group urged authorities to establish independent oversight and civilian accountability mechanisms, ensure impartial and transparent investigations, and strengthen survivor-centered support systems.
It also called for sustained gender sensitivity and human rights education within police and military institutions, alongside the full implementation of the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act and the Magna Carta of Women.
“At a time when violence against women remains widespread, the state cannot remain complicit through inaction, let alone allow its own agents to become perpetrators of abuse and violence against women,” Perez said. “Those entrusted to protect the public must be held to the highest standard of accountability.”
CWR said that women’s groups will continue exposing systemic abuses while pushing for a society where women and children can live free from violence and fear. (DAA)
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