CEBU, Philippines - Central Visayas is among the regions in the country identified to have the most number of rape cases.
The Philippine National Police Women and Children Protection Center recorded in 2013 a total of 5,493 rape cases that involved women and child victims or an approximate of one reported rape incident every 96 minutes.
Region 7 recorded more than 370 cases landing on the 7th place among the 16 regions. Region IV-A topped the list with 833 cases reported, according to the report. National Capital Region comes second with 599 cases; next is Region VI or Western Visayas with 582 cases; Region V or the Bicol Region (538); Region III or Central Luzon (484); and Region XI, Davao (424).
The Philippine Information Agency had reported that Central Visayas ranked number one among the region with most number of reported violations of Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004 from January to September last year.
The violations include physical, psychological, economic and sexual abuse.
In the province of Cebu, there were already 187 reported rape cases in the first quarter of this year, according to the presentation of the Police Regional Office-7 during the Regional Peace and Order Council meeting in May.
PNP-WCPC disclosed that children are more vulnerable to abuse. In fact, 75.5 percent or 44,034 of the total 58,330 reported rape cases since 1999 involved children as victims.
Cebu Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, for her part, affirmed the report, saying there were numerous rape cases referred to Provincial Council for the Welfare of Children and the Provincial Women’s Commission where she sits as co-chairperson.
She, however, said despite the high number of rape cases reported, this only indicates that there were more victims who already took brave pace to come out.
“I have a theory on this. Because they know where to go and they know that when we commit, we really give them lawyers, that is why more are reporting,” she said.
She assured assistance to those victims who are still scared or ashamed, especially in areas of the province where “culture of silence” prevailed.
“By doing our advocacy and showing them nga we will support them, I think they would come out in the open. I sympathize with them, we will work with them… That precisely one of my mandates as co-chair of PCWC and PWC,” she added. — (FREEMAN)