Women and Children Protection Units (WCPU) — Philippines' Hospital-Based One-Stop GBV and Child Abuse Response Network

Established in 1997 at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila under Department of Health Administrative Order No. 1-B, and reinforced by AO 2013-0011, Women and (Their) Children Protection Units (WCPU) are hospital-based one-stop centres integrating medical examination and treatment, forensic documentation, psychosocial and mental-health care, legal assistance and police liaison for survivors of gender-based violence and child abuse.
The network grew from 38 units nationally in 2010 to roughly 94 units by 2019 and 123 units across 61 provinces and 10 cities by 2021–2022, according to the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation's citation for the programme's founding pediatrician. By that point the network had cumulatively served 119,965 children/adolescents and 30,912 women, while the flagship PGH unit alone had treated over 27,000 children since 1997. A 2009 peer-reviewed study of 486 cases handled at PGH found 15% proceeded to trial.
Independent investigative reporting by VERA Files and Philstar documented serious strains behind these numbers: as of 2019 only 4 of the country's WCPUs had achieved full 'Level 3' status, the programme's dedicated funding was frozen after a 2013 budget scandal, frontline staff were paid as little as ~₱13,000/month, and many of the 721 public hospitals nationwide still lacked a functioning unit, referring cases to PGH instead.

Read the full analysis: https://iacvawc.gov.ph/doh-administrative-order-no-2013-0011-revised-policy-on-the-establishment-of-women-and-their-children-protection-units-in-all-government-hospitals/