Students’ Perspectives on the Enforcement of the Anti-Bastos Law at Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation

One of the most prevalent issues occurring in various countries is gender-based sexual harassment exists in all spaces, such as educational settings in colleges and universities. In light of this, this study determined the perspective of the students of Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation on the implementation of the Safe Spaces Act or Republic Act 11313 that aligns with SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). The law was enacted for protective measures, mandating public and private spaces. This study measured the students’ awareness of the law and the compliance of the university to its specific provisions. . In addition, the researchers used descriptive methods to collect information, analyze, and interpret the data gathered online through Google Forms. The researchers distributed the questionnaires to the 2,452 college students. The results showed that the students have insufficient awareness of the general provisions of the law. Moreover, the implementation of the university for counseling and assistance to victims of sexual harassment is mostly recognized. Furthermore, different university departments or offices have insufficient coordination when dealing with cases related to this law, which may hinder the victims in their pursuit of justice in taking further action for their cases. Consequently, this can potentially improve the enforcement to ensure safer and more inclusive institutional space. Through campaigns, such as the dissemination of informative posters in different colleges in universities and the posting of infographics on social media, can enhance visibility and effectively educate the students about the law.