Two Filipinas represent PH in London global summit

NATIONAL ESSAY WINNERS. Jill Angeli V. Bacasmas and Ma. Reinna Salcedo Bermudez will head to London for the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. All photos courtesy of the British Embassy.

MANILA, Philippines – Jill Angeli V. Bacasmas and Ma. Reinna Salcedo Bermudez were named the winners of the national essay competition for the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. The summit, led by British Foreign Secretary William Hague and UN Special Envoy Angelina Jolie, will be held at the Excel Centre in London from Tuesday, June 10, to Friday, June 13.

Bacasmas and Bermudez, who were selected among 200 Filipino applicants, received the good news during a send-off for the Philippine delegation sponsored by both the British and Australian embassies on June 3 (READ: Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict essay competition).

They will be joining 10 other women who have played key roles in conflict resolution in the Philippines. The delegation is headed by Secretary Teresita “Ging” Deles of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. (READ: Women in PH peace process: Participation from the ground up)

The summit will give young people a voice in tackling the issue and will provide a global platform for sharing the significant contribution of women to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.

Below is the program of the summit:

Tuesday June 10: The Foreign Secretary and Special Envoy will open the Global Summit Fringe, which aims to increase awareness of sexual violence in conflict, and take part in meetings with youth delegates.

Wednesday, June 11: The Foreign Secretary and Special Envoy will attend an event to launch an International Protocol to help strengthen prosecutions for rape in conflict.

Thursday, June 12: Delegations from over 100 countries will attend the summit. The Foreign Secretary will chair a ministerial meeting on security in northern Nigeria.

Friday, June 13: The Foreign Secretary, Special Envoy, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon (by video message) and US Secretary of State John Kerry will speak in a closing plenary session.

As part of the summit there will be over 140 free events open to the public (June 10-12). View the Summit Fringe programme here.

Global shapers

In a joint message by British Ambassador Asif Ahmad and Australian Ambassador Bill Tweddell, they said, “We want the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict to be the moment that the world wakes up and says that rape and sexual violence are not an inevitable part of war. We support the Philippine delegation on this very important occasion, which gives these extraordinary women a unique opportunity to be part of this huge effort to end a culture of impunity that still pervades in many places around the world.”

YOUNG GLOBAL SHAPER. British Ambassador Asif Ahmad with Jill Angeli Bacasmas, winner of 2014 End Sexual Violence in Conflict national essay competition.

Bacasmas, a Foreign Service training specialist, said, “I can be an agent in the dissemination of the plethora of information and skills I will acquire in the Summit.”

CHANGING THE WORLD. Ma. Reinna Bermudez, winner of 2014 End Sexual Violence in Conflict national essay competition.

Bermudez, a Programme Assistant for an international humanitarian organization, said that the Summit will provide her with fresh ideas that “will be crucial in providing a gender lens with psychosocial support in helping people live dignified lives, through creation of community-based project proposals aiming to empower women and young girls.”

They will also get a chance to meet over 1,200 delegates, including government officials, international organization representatives, and experts from across the world. – Rappler.com

Sexual violence affects both men and women. It is used as a weapon of war and tears families and communities apart. As part of the #TimetoAct campaign, a short animation has been produced to portray the horror of rape and sexual violence through the eyes of a child.