Breaking the Silence: Barriers Faced by Abused Filipino Women in Pursuing Legal Action
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23142295Keywords:
abused Filipino women, barriers to legal action, help-seeking, intimate partner violence, survivor empowerment, violence against women and childrenAbstract
This study examined the barriers faced by abused Filipino women in pursuing legal action and the strategies they employed to cope with and recover from relational abuse. It sought to describe survivors’ lived experiences, identify personal, social, institutional, and procedural factors that shaped decisions to pursue, withdraw from, or discontinue legal action, examine perceptions of existing legal protection mechanisms, and develop a practical response based on the findings. A qualitative phenomenological design was employed. Thirteen adult Filipino women from Lucena City who had experienced intimate-partner abuse and had sought assistance from the Violence Against Women and Children Desk participated through purposive sampling; data collection ended when thematic saturation was reached. In-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted from March to April 2026 using an expert-validated interview guide. Audio-recorded narratives were transcribed and analyzed through the seven-step Colaizzi method, supported by manual coding and member checking. Twenty-four themes were generated across four areas: lived experiences and factors discouraging legal action, institutional and procedural influences, perceived effectiveness of legal frameworks and support systems, and coping and recovery mechanisms. Fear of retaliation, family preservation, economic insecurity, emotional attachment, trauma, and competing survival responsibilities constrained legal engagement. Conversely, responsive law enforcement, specialized services, fair judicial processes, family and community support, employment, distancing from harm, counseling, self-care, and motherhood supported safety and recovery. The study concludes that access to justice depends not only on legal remedies but also on survivor-centered institutional, economic, psychosocial, and community support. These findings informed EmpowerHER, an integrated community-based action plan for legal empowerment and recovery.
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