Short answer. RA 9262 is officially titled the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004. It is the Philippines' primary law addressing domestic and intimate-partner violence, giving women and their children legal protection and remedies against abusive spouses, partners, or family members, and establishing criminal liability for such violence.
What the law says
This Act shall be known as the "Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004".
RA 9262, Section 1 — Short Title. Read the full provision →
The law's official name
Section 1 of RA 9262 is a short title clause: it gives the statute its formal name so that later laws, court decisions, and government forms can refer to it consistently. The full name, the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004, describes exactly who the law protects.
In practice, people and even court documents commonly shorten it to 'RA 9262' or 'the Anti-VAWC law,' but both refer to the same 2004 statute.
Why the short title matters
A short title clause might look like a formality, but it matters practically: when a protection order, a criminal complaint, or a barangay blotter entry cites 'RA 9262,' that citation points unambiguously to this specific 2004 law rather than any other statute touching on women's or children's welfare.
It also anchors related legal materials, including implementing rules, jurisprudence, and amendments, that all reference the Act by this same title.
What the Act generally covers
Although Section 1 itself only names the law, the Act as a whole creates both criminal penalties and civil remedies, including protection orders, for violence committed against a woman by an intimate partner or against her child. The people covered include wives, former wives, girlfriends, former girlfriends, and women with whom the offender has or had a dating or sexual relationship, plus their children.
The law binds the offender directly, but it also places duties on barangay officials, police officers, and courts to act on a complaint and issue protection orders. It does not cover violence in relationships the Act's own definitions do not reach, such as ordinary neighbors or coworkers with no dating, sexual, or family tie to the accused; those situations fall under the Revised Penal Code or other statutes instead. A violation can expose the offender to imprisonment, fines, and a permanent protection order, on top of any separate criminal case for physical injury or other harm.
When you might need to cite it
Knowing the correct official title is useful when filing a complaint, requesting a protection order, or researching your rights, since forms and legal filings typically ask for the law by its formal name or its RA number.
Getting the citation right also helps when searching for the full text of the law, its implementing rules and regulations, or subsequent amendments and related issuances.