***Trigger warning: Abuse and domestic violence
Carla Abellana has strongly expressed her call against any gender-based violence.
In solidarity with the United Nations Women's (UN Women) campaign to spread awareness about the prevalent cases of violence against women, Carla took her own take on the issue to Instagram.
"I stand in solidarity with abuse victims all over the world against any form of gender-based violence. Violence takes many forms - sexual, emotional, psychological, financial, physical and mental," her Instagram post read.
The worldwide campaign urges women to stand up and reject all excuses from abusers. No excuse will ever justify violence.
"All these excuses end now. There is #NoExcuse for violence," Carla wrote.
READ: What Does Violence Against Women Look Like?
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The actress also encouraged everyone seeing her post to continue the chain of advocacy on social media. "I encourage you to post your own solidarity message and tag @unwomenasia @unwomen too," she said.
The #NoExcuses or #WalangPalusot movement is a worldwide initiative that will be running for 16 days in order to educate more people about gender-based violence. The initiative began on November 25, 2023, which is the International Day to End Violence against Women.
It could be recalled that the actress filed an application for a protection order against her ex-husband Tom Rodriguez. ICYDK, a “protection order” is granted for the purpose of “preventing further acts of violence against a woman or her child," as stated under the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act.
While Carla did not disclose additional information about the protection order, her lawyer, Atty. Peter Sanchez, clarified that the two are still *allowed* to be on the same premises. “It's actually for her to invoke protection,” he says during Carla's guesting on Fast Talk with Boy Abunda.
“If they are in the same building, the same locality, if she doesn't feel threatened or in any manner uncomfortable, she can opt not to. But once she feels, 'I don't like this feeling anymore,' she can request the other party to leave in accordance with the orders of the court."
Violence Against Women Around The World
UN reports that some 736 million women have been a victim of physical and/or sexual violence, and 86 percent of these victims are from countries without any law against abuse.
In the Philippines, despite having the Anti-Violence Against Women And Their Children Law since 2004 (Anti-VAWC), the threat of violence against women still prevails. According to the Philippine National Police (PNP), there are 7,434 reported cases related to anti-VAWC in 2022.
Along with the UN, the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) asserts that the fight against gender-based violence is an essential step in achieving gender equality by 2030, which is a part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
"Every effort invested in preventing violence against women is a step towards a safer, more equal, and prosperous world," UN Women stated.
This is not the first time that Carla has been vocal about her advocacies. Other than being an actress, she is also a staunch advocate against animal cruelty. She has been posting about projects from different non-profit organizations for dogs, like the Pawssion Project Foundation, which also spreads awareness on cases of cruelty against dogs.
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