María Clara doctrine (original) (raw)

The María Clara doctrine, also known as the Woman's Honor doctrine, is a legal doctrine applied by Philippine courts regarding cases that concern abuse against women. The doctrine is a presumption "that women, especially Filipinas, would not admit that they have been abused unless that abuse had actually happened." It was a part of case law in the Philippines for some considerable time but was repudiated by the Supreme Court of the Philippines in 2018.