Chocolates & Roses: Breaking the Silence

“Chocolates & Roses: Breaking the Silence” is an ethnographic documentary born from a visual research project examining domestic and family violence against Filipino women and girls, and its links to suicidal thoughts and behaviour.

Through deeply personal testimonies, the film brings to light stories that rarely make the news:

“A young mother raising three children in the country’s second-largest slum while enduring abuse from her drug-dependent husband.”
“A respected psychiatrist who found the courage to leave her marriage only after being violently assaulted during pregnancy.”

These intimate accounts reveal how domestic violence transcends age, class, gender identity, and ethnicity, showing that abuse spares no one.

Faith, Law, and Silence

Set against the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, the film explores the complex interplay between law, culture, and religion.

In the Philippines — one of just two nations on earth, together with Vatican City, where divorce is still forbidden by law— survivors often face an impossible choice: stay in abusive relationships or endure stigma and isolation from their communities and churches. Legal annulment remains rare and socially condemned.

Resilience and Resistance

Amid these challenges, “Chocolates & Roses” also highlights hope and defiance. It celebrates the resilience of women who transform pain into advocacy, and the grassroots organisations — many founded by survivors — working tirelessly to break the cycle of abuse and promote healing.

“This is not only a Filipino story,” says Director Dr Erminia Colucci.
“It is a global call to confront and dismantle the silence that still surrounds gender-based violence.”

Beyond Borders

The project also underscores the value of ethnographic and visual research in deepening understanding of domestic violence. By documenting both suffering and survival, it provides vital insights for prevention, intervention, and public policy worldwide.

Funded by the University of Melbourne’s Early Career Researcher Award, the film was directed by Dr Erminia Colucci (Principal Investigator, Director, and Camera), in collaboration with Dr Dinah Nadera (Ateneo de Manila University, School of Medicine and Public Health), the National Center for Mental Health in the Philippines, and the Centre for Mental Health, Global and Cultural Mental Health Unit at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Statistics

1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime—most often by an intimate partner. (UN Women, 2024)

In 2023, an estimated 51,100 women and girls were killed by an intimate partner or family member. (UNODC & UN Women Global Estimates)

Approximately 85,000 women and girls were intentionally killed worldwide in 2023, many in gender-related circumstances. (UN Women, 2024)

Despite major advances in women’s education, employment, and political representation, violence against women and girls in the Philippines remains pervasive — a stark reminder that equality in law does not always mean equality in life.

Regional rates of intimate-partner/family femicide (per 100,000 women, 2023):

• Africa: ≈ 2.9

• Americas: ≈ 1.6

• Oceania: ≈ 1.5
• Asia: ≈ 0.8
• Europe: ≈ 0.6

Caution: Global statistics are incomplete due to widespread under-reporting, inconsistent definitions, and limited data collection. The real figures are likely significantly higher than official estimates.

To support the work of Dr. Erminia Colucci click HERE