The future belongs to the children. It's going to be a bleak future, however, for thousands of children who have been traumatized by abuse. Organizations involved in child welfare estimate that more than 3,000 children suffer from various types of abuse nationwide each year. A report this week from Central Luzon said cases of child abuse and delinquency appear to be on the rise in the region, with 265 cases reported from January to March alone -- up from the 1999 quarterly average of 247.
A report prepared by the Department of Social Welfare and Development showed that the most common form of abuse was sexual: acts of lasciviousness, prostitution, incest and rape. Battery was another common form of abuse. Children were also forced into labor, sent into the streets to beg, or abandoned by their parents. Abuse is seen as a major cause of delinquency. Of the 265 cases of abuse and delinquency reported in the first quarter of the year, 140 victims were boys and 125 girls.
There are continuing efforts to curb child abuse, but the biggest problem is that many of the offenders are the victims' relatives. Of the 265 cases reported this year, fathers were identified as the abusers in 29 cases and mothers in 21. Last year, fathers were tagged as the offenders in 91 of the 989 cases, and mothers in 49. Grandparents, stepparents, siblings, uncles and aunts were named in other cases. Children are taught to be wary of strangers. But how do they avoid abusive relatives? Neighbors aren't much help either. In 40 of the cases reported this year, neighbors were tagged as the abusers; last year, they were identified as the offenders in 129 cases.
A program has been launched to educate school children about abuse and molestation by relatives and friends. Many abused children, however, are out of school or do not attend classes regularly. Amid rising cases of abuse, barangay officials, religious workers and civic groups are being tapped to assist the young victims. There are no easy answers to this problem. Some young lives may not be saved -- the emotional scar of being abused by one's parents may never disappear. An intensified campaign, however, will not hurt. Greater community vigilance, more educational and information campaigns, and an effective program to rehabilitate traumatized children can still make the scars of childhood disappear.