21 cases of abuse vs children, women recorded in Talisay

CEBU, Philippines - The Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD) of the Talisay City Police Station has recorded 14 cases of child abuse and nine cases of violence against women in the city from January to September this year.

PO2 Violeta Godinez said abuses committed against the children involved sexual advances while those against women mostly involved physical harm. Suspects in the child abuse cases are mostly family members like the victims’ father, uncle, brother or cousins. The suspects in the cases against women are mostly the victims’ husbands.

Godinez said the suspects in the 23 cases are now facing charges in court, but the WCPD is hopeful that the number won’t rise.

Last year, cases in the city reached 16 with children and 14 with women, lower than the 22 cases involving children and 22 involving women in 2011. In 2010, incidents involving children reached 30 while incidents involving women reached 28.

The numbers were even higher the year two years earlier because the WCPD recorded 45 cases involving children and 43 cases involving women in 2009 and 40 incidents both involving children and women in 2008. – (FREEMAN)