Safe Spaces Act
Also known as: Bawal Bastos Law · Republic Act No. 11313 · RA 11313
Definition
The Safe Spaces Act (Republic Act No. 11313), popularly known as the Bawal Bastos Law, is a Philippine statute signed on April 17, 2019 that penalizes gender-based sexual harassment in streets and public spaces, online, and in workplaces and educational or training institutions. It broadened the earlier Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995 by covering peer-to-peer conduct, harassment of any person regardless of the harasser’s motive, and street-level offenses such as catcalling, wolf-whistling, persistent unwanted requests for personal details, and unwanted sexual remarks. (Wikipedia)
Identities
| Source Type | Identity |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | Safe Spaces Act |
| Wikidata | Q136756420 |
| DBpedia | N/A |
| ProductOntology | N/A |
| Wiktionary | N/A |
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) | N/A |
| MeSH | N/A |
| NCBI Taxonomy | N/A |
| AGROVOC | N/A |
| Google Scholar | Safe Spaces Act Republic Act 11313 gender-based harassment Philippines |
| ConceptNet | harassment |
| OpenCyc | N/A |
Also Known As
- Bawal Bastos Law
- Republic Act No. 11313
- RA 11313
Examples and Analogies
- Street Harassment: A stranger makes kissing sounds at a passerby on a jeepney; under the law this counts as gender-based sexual harassment punishable on first offense by a fine and community service.
- Online Harassment: Repeatedly sending unwelcome sexual messages or images to a person through social media constitutes gender-based online harassment, a distinct punishable category.
- Expanded Workplace Coverage: Unlike the 1995 law, which required a teacher, employer, or supervisor relationship, the Safe Spaces Act covers harassment between coworkers of equal rank and by subordinates against superiors.
Usage Scenarios
1. Reporting Public Harassment
A person catcalled on the street may seek assistance from barangay officials, the police, or the PNP Women and Children Protection Center, presenting witnesses or phone footage as evidence for a complaint.
2. Employer and School Compliance
Companies and schools must adopt a code of conduct and maintain a Committee on Decorum and Investigation (CODI) to receive and act on gender-based harassment cases, with penalties for institutions that fail to act.
Strategies
- Document incidents immediately with dates, places, screenshots, and witness names, since online and street cases rise or fall on available evidence.
- Use institutional channels such as the CODI before litigation, as the law prescribes administrative processes alongside criminal prosecution.
- Support prevention through information campaigns, which local governments and schools are mandated to conduct under the law.
Security and Safety Measures
- Victims may approach all-female desks at police stations and barangay violence-against-women desks staffed to handle sensitive complaints confidentially.
- Higher penalties apply when the victim is a minor, when the offender is a public official, or when harassment occurs in public transport or terminals.
- Online platforms and telcos are directed to cooperate in investigating electronic evidence of gender-based online harassment.
Historical Context
Quezon City passed the country’s first local anti-catcalling ordinance, Ordinance No. 2501, in 2016, giving national legislators a working model. Senator Risa Hontiveros championed the Senate bill, and President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11313 in April 2019, filling gaps left by the 1995 Anti-Sexual Harassment Act and complementing the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004.
Challenges and Controversies
Enforcement Gaps
Catcalling remains widely normalized in Philippine streets, and advocates note that many incidents go unreported because victims doubt that first-offense penalties, which combine modest fines with community service, will deter repeat offenders.
Overbreadth Concerns
Some lawyers, journalists, and free-expression groups cautioned that the online and unwelcome-comment provisions could chill protected speech, urging clear prosecutorial guidelines to separate criminal harassment from rude but lawful expression.
Related Topic
Republic Act No. 9262 (Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act)