THE Dagupan City Government and the Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC) have partnered to provide an improved network of services to help women and children who are victims of violence.

Mayor Belen Fernandez said under the memorandum of agreement (MOA), the R1MC, through its Women and Children Protection Unit (WCPU), will provide free access to medical and psychological services and a strengthened local referral system for victim-survivors.

The WCPU serves as the referral center for Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) cases in Pangasinan and provides medical, diagnostic, forensic, therapeutic, and preventive responses to victims.

“The hospital shall also recommend measures to enhance access to social and legal services and conduct capacity-building training with partner agencies,” Fernandez said in a statement on Monday, June 5, 2023.

The Dagupan City Government, on the other hand, will designate a liaison officer to coordinate with the R1MC and appoint a woman desk officer and a city social worker who will attend capacity training programs and provide services to VAWC survivors, she added.

Fernandez said VAWC cases in the city will be handled by women police officers, who will undergo capacity building and gender sensitivity training.

“The MOA is based on the necessity for a multidisciplinary continuum of care that encompasses medical, psychological, social, legal, judicial, law enforcement, and educational services for abused women and children,” she said. (PNA)