Violence Against Women and their Children (VAWC) Anti-VAWC Law: Protecting women and their children from violence in intimate relationships (R.A. 9262) Republic Act 9262, or the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004, seeks to address the prevalence of violence against women (VAW) committed by their intimate partner, such as their husband, live-in partner, boyfriend/girlfriend, or any person they have a sexual or dating relationship with, whether present or ex. The law was signed into law on March 2, 2004. This act classifies VAW as a public crime. This means that it is no longer a private matter—one only between the man and woman in the relationship— and may now be intervened by the State and the community. The law may be invoked if the victim is a woman or the child of a woman whose intimate partner commited one or more of the following acts: ↗ Physical Violence refers to acts that include bodily or physical harm ↗ Sexual violence refers to an act which is sexual in nature, committed against a woman or her child ↗ Psychological violence refers to acts or omissions causing or likely to cause mental or emotional suffering of the victim ↗ Economic abuse refers to acts that make or attempt to make a woman financially dependent 5