Abuse vs. Women and Children High in Baguio
The number of abused
women and children here remained high in the past three years, the local
justice and social welfare offices disclosed last week.
BY LYN V. RAMO
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat
BAGUIO CITY (246 kms.
north of Manila) – The number of abused women and children here remained
high in the past three years, the local justice and social welfare offices
disclosed last week.
The Office of the
City Social Welfare and Development Officer (OCSWADO) Betty Fangasan noted
that most abused women are jobless and housekeepers while abused children
are mostly sons or daughters of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) whose
parents left them with their fathers, stepfathers, or other relatives.
Based on a report
from the Anti-Child Abuse Network in Baguio City, there were 286 children
here who suffered abuse in 2006. Of these, 108 were sexually abused,
including two boys, while 107 were physically abused. Twenty-five girls
aged 2-17 survived incestuous rape, while 83 were subjected to non-incest
sexual abuse including two two-year old girls.
Among the 321 abused
women last year, 273 were subjected to physical abuse, 28 sexually abused,
21 psychologically abused and 7 economically abused.
The five-year study
on child abuse released by the OCSWADO shows an increasing trend each
year. From 187 abused children in 2002, the graph rises to a high 286 in
2006 with a slight decrease from 188 in 2003 to 177 in 2004. For 2005, the
figure is 226.
Fangasan theorizes
that the increased awareness of women on abuses and the passage of the
Anti-Abuse of Women and Children Law must have encouraged abused women to
come out and report the incident. “It does not mean there (was) less
abuse before,” she said.
While the Integrated
Bar of the Philippines (IBP) in the city provides legal assistance to
abused women and children, lawyer Ruth Baoayan disclosed that not all
those who were rescued filed a case against their attacker. She
attributed this to the notion that barangay (village) officials could
mediate in such cases. She also said that most people still think that
abuse within a marital relationship is merely a private issue between
spouses.
“It is inherent for
an abused woman to have a sense of powerlessness. She noted the major
concerns usually raised by women asking for legal assistance are: getting
child custody, the recovery of their self-confidence and the use of their
maiden surnames.
The city has passed
its Gender and Development Code in 2005 and since then, there have been
various efforts to implement the code, said Councilor Pinky Chan-Rondez.
Northern Dispatch / Posted by Bulatlat
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