The Department of Justice (DOJ) is bent on taking out the option of settlement for incestuous rape cases or rape cases involving family members or relatives.
This, as the DOJ expressed alarm over rape cases with minors as victims of their relatives which has turned into an “epidemic without a vaccine.”
“Ang legal tradition natin na may problema dito [ay] nagkakaroon ng aregluhan sa korte,” DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla pointed out.
“Ito’y isasangguni namin sa court administrator at marahil susulat kami sa chief justice upang magkaroon ng guidelines ang Korte Suprema sa mga courts natin na wag pumayag sa aregluhan ng ganitong mga kaso,” he continued.
Remulla said there is already a state of emergency on child sexual abuse.
Based on the data of Child Protection Network (CPN), one of 20 children have suffered from sexual violence at home or with relatives.
“The fact that 1 out of 20 Filipino child experience sexual violence, we should already do something about it because that’s already very high by itself,” Dr. Bernadette Madrid of CPN said.
“We looked at the numbers between those who were 13 to 17 years old, we are looking at least approximately 1.8 to 2 million… and majority of that are family members. So that will be incest. So ganon kalala yung ating problema,” she added.
Other government agencies have pledged to address this trend
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Violence Against Women and Children’s desk will be strengthened, as well as the non-disclosure agreement in barangays who will receive complaints of this crime.
“Dapat kasi grassroots talaga ang approach nito, so kailangan namin i-empower ‘yung aming mga barangay captains na magsabi, mag-report, at isumbong ito. So we will have to have dialogues with them soon,” DILG Usec. Margarita Gutierrez said.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development will ask for additional funds for psychosocial intervention and counseling of victims.
Meanwhile, the Department of Information and Communications Technology will continue to monitor and shut down websites used for cybercrime and cyberpornography that exploit women and children.
Authorities are urging victims to relay sexual abuse complaints to authorities. – With reports from Louisa Erispe/AG – gb
