Last 25 and 26 March 2026, the Gender Law and Equality Clinic of XUCLA, in collaboration with the XU-GAD Office, successfully conducted Rights Literacy Sessions for the security guards and custodial staff of Xavier University. The activity opened with a welcome message from Engr George M Abasolo, setting the tone for a meaningful and engaging discussion focused on the legal protections and professional responsibilities of these personnel as campus frontliners.

Given that these workers are employed through third-party agencies, the sessions emphasized key national mandates, particularly Republic Act No 11313 (The Safe Spaces Act), alongside a specialized orientation on the Guidelines of Xavier University’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Policies. The discussions underscored the dual role of security and custodial personnel as both rights-bearing individuals and first responders, who are authorized to apprehend perpetrators caught in flagrante delicto in public spaces.

Participants were also guided on practical courses of action, including the applicable prescriptive periods for filing complaints, as well as their entitlement to statutory labor benefits, among others, the 10-day paid leave under the Violence Against Women and Their Children (VAWC) law.