The Department of Justice (DOJ) is promoting no settlement in cases of incestuous rape committed by a relative.
According to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, they will refer it to the court administrator and write to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo to have a rule in the courts regarding no settlement in cases of incestuous rape.
The DOJ also contacts the offices handling child abuse and incestuous rape cases.
The secretary is concerned about the number of such incidents in the country.
“This is an epidemic without a vaccine… Nasa state of emergency na tayo when it comes to child sexual abuse,” said Remulla.
“Non-negotiable dapat ang ating attitude tungkol sa bagay na ito, at pasensyahan na lang. ‘Yung dating kalakaran na naaareglo ang mga bagay-bagay, dito, dapat hindi na tayo pumayag sa areglo. Kasi mangyayari muli yan pag pinayagan natin na manatili ang mga tao na walang pinagsisisihan o walang pinagbabayaran,” the official added.
DOJ want to ban settlement in incestuous rape cases
This is supported by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), which will also study the release of a memorandum circular as a guide for local government staff in handling incidents of incestuous rape.
“We will also study what memo circulars we could issue to guide our LGUs, to guide the barangays to implement a no settlement of cases, para ‘yung mga ganitong mga kaso na rape by incest ay hindi ma-settle. Kailangan ma-prosecute,” said DILG Undersecretary Margarita Gutierrez.
Based on data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, from 2019 to 2022, there were 853 cases of sexual abuse of children committed by relatives reported to the agency. Out of this number, only one is male, and 108 were recorded last year.
But according to the Child Protection Network (CPN), those who report are only a small part compared to the actual number of children who have experienced sexual violence.
According to the DICT, one of the things discussed was the development of a 24/7 complaint center. The DILG, on the other hand, will coordinate with local government units so that each city and municipality has a social worker who will focus on child abuse cases.
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