"More than three thousand rape cases were reported last year, which is 14 percent higher than the number of cases reported in 1999. Most of these cases involved children," said Chief Inspector Brandy Usana of the Women and Children’s Division of the Philippine National Police during the Ugnayan sa Hotel Remnbrandt.
"PNP statistics indicate that most of these rape cases happened inside the home of the victims with close relatives such as father or uncle, among others, as the offenders," said Usana.
Prostitution in the country continues to worsen as a result of rampant commercial sex exploitation, said Roserillan Ortega, chairperson of the Sub Task Force-Sexual Abuse and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (SABCSEC).
Concerned about this reality, the government by virtue of Proclamation No. 731, series of 1996, declared every second week of February each year as National Awareness Week for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse.
Part of the education campaign is to stress the role of the family and strengthen the foundation of the rights of the child against sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation.
The campaign will also remind offenders to refrain from using illegal drugs and alcohol and avoid too much exposure to pornography that may stimulate the commission of sexual abuse against children. – PIA