The More Contagious ‘Viruses’

Women’s Rights during the COVID-19 Pandemic through Tisya Hustisya

Abstract

Since its launch in 2020, the Tisya Hustisya (Tisya for Justice), an online pro bono legal services initiative by Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services, recorded 26,763 sessions from 17,102 clients, 13,319 of which are legal queries. Flaunting a mascot of a fierce female lawyer, Tisya Hustisya has gained traction among Filipino women — roughly 75 to 80 percent of the platform’s clientele are female. This study seeks to examine the human rights issues triggering Filipino women and the corresponding socio-political barriers affecting the realisation of gender justice in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the data collected from Tisya Hustisya, the majority of female clients seek legal advice on domestic violence, child support and custody, infidelity of spouses and romantic partners, piling debts, and economic downturn in the era of COVID-19. Most female clients resided in urban areas and fall between 24 to 44 years old. While grappling with the health and economic risks brought about by the pandemic, Filipino women still face already-inherent social barriers because of gender-based violence, social stigma, and inability to seek marital redress because of unaffordable annulment fees and absence of divorce in the country.