Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Central Luzon is encouraging victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation to report to the concerned agencies.
CHR Attorney IV Aloi Renz Santos underscored widespread stay-at-home orders for children implemented amid the COVID-19 pandemic caused difficulties for the victims to report, hindering them to perform the necessary protection and intervention.
“Based on initial studies, the cases of domestic violence have indeed increased not only in Central Luzon but nationwide. However, the reporting mechanism is what we are having problems about because with the pandemic restricting the movement of people, the number of those who can report is limited,” he said.
Santos cited that Women and Children Protection Desk logged about 17,702 cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation in 2020, a figure lower than the recorded 22,258 reported cases in 2019.
Despite this, CHR is quick to clarify that the figures do not necessarily reflect that the cases have really declined or increased during the pandemic as they are still receiving complaints perpetrated in the last few years due to the easing quarantine protocols.
“Until this year, we are still receiving cases which happened in 2021 or even in 2020 because it is only now that they [the victims] are given the liberty to go to the right agencies,” Santos shared.
He pressed that the ailing problem on child sexual abuse and exploitation is affecting about 80 percent of Filipino children who have been experiencing different forms of violence such as physical, psychological, sexual, and online abuse.
Given this, CHR is advocating to relay to the different sectors upholding the rights of the children such as students, uniformed personnel, and parents to help combat cases of abuse.
“Under Republic Act 7610 otherwise known as the Child Abuse Act, it is indicated that not only the victims but also the parents, relatives, social workers, the barangay chairperson, and even three concerned responsible citizens have the obligation to file a case,” Santos cited.
CHR is also calling for the urgent approval of the bill raising the age of sexual consent from the current 12 years old to 16 years old to protect young people from sexual exploitation and abuse.
Also, as child sexual abuse and exploitation is considered as human rights violation, CHR is aiding the victims by referring the cases in the prosecution, and providing lawyers for the progress of the cases.
“We are giving financial assistance to the victims for their expenses in the filing of cases. We have those kinds of programs. When you are a victim of human rights violation, especially a child or a woman, we can render financial assistance,” Santos added.
They have also opened an e-lawyering or a free online legal help desk service for human rights concerns where clients can book sessions at tinyurl.com/CHR3elawyer. (PIA 3)
