Child rape cases up in Benguet

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet - Authorities noted a rise in rape cases of children in Benguet alarming officials who said they would start programs to address and stop the heinous crimes.

Gov. Nestor Fongwan said bulk of the provincial budget, based from the province’s 2013 plans and programs, is earmarked to address increasing rape cases in the province’s 13 towns.

A total of 71 cases of incest rape was recorded in Benguet from January 2011 to May 2012, the Benguet provincial social welfare office said.

Most of the incidents occurred in the province’s center-- La Trinidad-- which recorded a total of 18 rape and eight incest rape cases.

Tuba recorded 10 cases, Kibungan, nine; and Itogon, six.

Meanwhile, Kapangan and Mankayan had five cases each, Buguias and Sablan had three cases each, while Tublay had two and and Atok, one case.

Rape was the top form of abuse among children at 39 percent, followed by physical abuse at 28 percent, and incest rape, 22 percent.

Records also revealed that Benguet children ages 14 to 15 years old are the most common victims of child abuse, with rape being the most committed against the age group.

Meanwhile, three cases each of rape and incest rape were committed against children below the age of five, records showed .

Of the 117 total number of child abuse cases varying from rape, acts of lasciviousness, seduction and physical abuse, 53 percent were committed inside the victim’s house.

“Most of the rape cases happened at the perpetrator’s and or the neighbor’s house while most of the incest cases were consummated at the victim’s house when the parents were at work and or when nobody is in the company of the victim," the report said.

Child abuse victims, records here showed, know their perpetrators and 42 percent of them are neighbors, 20 percent are parents, 16 percent are relatives and 7 percent are boyfriends.

It was noted that boyfriend perpetrators which included the boyfriend of the victim’s mother were the ones mostly accused of rape and acts of lasciviousness.

The Benguet provincial government was also alarmed of a serial rapist of five different children and a father who raped all his three biological children.

While there are laws protecting children from abuses and where rape and sexual assault have been categorized as a heinous crimes, a big percentage (19 percent) of the cases, records showed, were amicably settled and 17 percent were not filed with the authorities.

More than half (59 percent) of the perpetrators are free and are not facing any liability while 8 percent are at large, though 33 percent are in jail.

Provincial Social welfare and development officer Anna Bannawe said such statistics sounded the alarm and Fongwan immediately convened a summit to discuss the problem.

Bannawe explained that their office has institutionalized the program on family effectiveness where they educate couples and parents on family relationship, rearing of children and coping with the realities of life.

“This program is regularly done and we go around the different municipalities and barangays to give lectures and seminars. We also form groups with parents as members where they do a continuing activity with the parents,” Bannawe added.

While Benguet’s 2013 budget will focus on social and human development particularly the training of barangay officials on the protection of children, child protection units in the hospitals in the province that will cater to the special needs of children who are victims of sexual abuses will also be set up.

The unit, Fongwan said, will be composed of a social welfare officer, police, health officer, and a member from a non government organization.

The governor said that while there is a special protection desk (women and children) in police stations, those in charge of them lack training. Also, many victims go to the police because they are unaware of their rights and the proper attention a victim of sexual abuse should be getting.