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Good practice Imported

Philippines' RA 9262 — The World's First Statutory Paid Leave for Domestic-Violence Victims (2004)

Philippines · Manila · See the Philippines profile · See the Manila profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 74% 44/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Enacted in 2004, RA 9262 grants women who are victims of abuse up to 10 days' paid leave to pursue legal, medical or relocation needs — predating New Zealand's similar law by 14 years, though the Civil Service Commission has had to repeatedly remind agencies to enforce it.

10 days/year
Statutory paid domestic-violence leave

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Philippine Congress / Philippine Commission on Women
Period
2004–present
Keywords
labour law, gender-based violence, workplace policy, public sector

Context

The Philippines' Republic Act 9262, the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004, entitles women who are victims of physical, sexual, psychological or economic abuse by a spouse or partner to up to 10 days of paid leave per year -- usable to pursue legal proceedings, relocate, care for children, or attend counselling -- on presentation of a certification from a barangay official, prosecutor, or court clerk.

Activities

Unused leave is not convertible to cash and does not accumulate. This predates New Zealand's comparable law by 14 years and is widely cited as the first statutory paid domestic-violence leave in the world.

Results

The Civil Service Commission has had to issue repeated directives -- most recently in December 2024 -- calling on government agencies to 'strictly uphold' the 10-day leave, indicating that awareness and enforcement gaps persist even within the public sector.

Conclusions

RA 9262's durability (in force, essentially unchanged, since 2004) and its role as a model other countries later followed are well documented; its actual utilisation rate and effect on survivors' economic security have not been formally measured.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k) — Cost borne by employers as paid leave; no direct government spending programme.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — In force since 2004; CSC enforcement directives continuing through December 2024.
Staffing & skills
barangay officials, prosecutors and court clerks issuing certifications, Civil Service Commission enforcement directives

Conditions for success

  • a low-friction certification process for accessing leave
  • repeated CSC directives keeping the entitlement visible to agencies

Common failure modes

  • awareness and enforcement gaps persist even within the public sector, let alone private, informal or migrant-labour employment
  • utilisation rate and economic-security effects never formally measured

Where it fits

Governance type
national labour law
Scale
national
Income level
lower-middle income

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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