Sexual Violence : Is it really prevalent these days?

keywords: Sexual Violence, Sexual Assault, Rape.

Sexual assaults are among the most common crimes, yet they are also the most underreported.

Many efforts have been made over the past 20 years to alter the perception of sexual assault and to give victims of this crime more power.

But here's the thing:

Sexual assault statistics show that many offenses are still not properly addressed or comprehended despite a number of beneficial, progressive policies.

So that's why:

With the aid of the most recent sexual harassment statistics, it is crucial that we evaluate and address the advantages and disadvantages of the present strategy in order to determine what and where needs to be improved.

So with that said, let's get started.

Child Sexual Abuse in the Philippines

In the Philippines, over 7,000,000 children are sexually molested each year.

Children who have experienced sexual assault are more than 70% between the ages of 10 and 18. 20% of those victims are children under the age of six. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) deals with cases of child sexual abuse more frequently than abandonment and neglect. Rape continues to be the most common form of sexual abuse, followed by incest and fondling, notwithstanding the Anti-Rape Law of 1997. Women make up 98% of rape victims. Another worrying statistic is the incest rate, which is 33%.

The majority of minors who are sexually abused for profit are pornographic or prostitution victims.

The DSWD handled fewer instances of child maltreatment overall, although significantly more instances of child prostitution were reported. Since the prostitution and sexual tourism networks are often run by powerful politicians or individuals (both locals and foreigners) who are frequently connected to other criminal networks (weapons, drugs), it is frequently very difficult to have a clear understanding of the situation and even harder to take action. Similarly, while the overall amount of internet pornography may seem quite low, it could have been much higher if the victims had filed complaints or requested assistance to prosecute. The same holds true for incidents of child prostitution, sexual assault, and incest.

Girls as the first victims of poverty

According to the 2015 Child Protection Network Annual Report, girls account for 87% of all reported occurrences of sexual assault, with the family home accounting for 11.7% of those incidents. The majority of females who are sexually exploited for profit are between the ages of 13 and 18, however some of the youngest victims were pushed into prostitution as early as age 10. In addition, young girls are much more susceptible to STDs and AIDS/HIV. In addition, they are frequently illegally recruited (particularly rural girls) and sexually discriminated against; they are expelled from school, made to labor, coerced to prostitution, etc.

98% of these sexually abused children are girls.

Nothing changes year after year, and things are even becoming worse. It is closely related to a pervasive tradition of discrimination against women and girls in families and society, as well as a dearth of resources to support (pre)teenagers, particularly girls living on the streets who have experienced sexual assault.

The key factors to understand

Whatever the data, it is simply the tip of the iceberg because only the cases that were reported to the police or another appropriate authority are taken into account, not all of them. If we were aware of every incidence that has gone unreported, the statistics would be far higher and much more concerning. Inherent in Filipino culture are both the victims' silence and the humiliation associated with speaking out because such events "tarnish" the reputation of the family.

When it comes to incest instances, this is especially true. Children's vulnerability can be explained by a variety of variables, including deprivation, the effects of drugs or alcohol, gender-based discrimination, the way parents view their children (they are viewed as "owned," not free, and are unable to have ideas or rights), and a lack of education. (and especially of sex education). When combined with a history of abuse cases, extreme poverty frequently leads to strained relationships between the victim's family members, which helps to normalize child sexual abuse within the family. The use of drugs and alcohol, which was noted in one out of every four cases, also appears to be a significant contributing factor to domestic violence.

The majority of the time, fathers or uncles rape Filipino children. These men are often between the ages of 30 and 40 and are unemployed. Most incest incidents, it has been observed, occur while the victim is by herself in the family home.

Despite the fact that women in Filipino families have a lot of obligations, they have no decision-making authority. Men are viewed as the stronger gender because they have the position of authority, which supports gender inequality. Girls are more susceptible to abuse and are frequently sexually assaulted since many mothers are weak, dependent, and subservient. The family's morality must be kept a secret, and youngsters are expected to keep quiet about crimes that could spark scandals and cause misery among their family members. Due to all these cultural influences, child sexual abuse instances are a persistent and ongoing problem in the nation. The majority of victims embrace a culture of quiet and endure their suffering in silence.

Regarding the young victims, it is stated that two out of every three do not report the crime because they are unaware that they are being raped due to a lack of general education and particularly sex education. The fact that the abuse is being committed by individuals they trust and who are meant to be protecting them only makes this tragedy worse.

References

Context in the Philippines - Association CAMELEON. (2020, May 9). Association CAMELEON. https://www.cameleon-association.org/contexte-aux-philippines/?lang=en

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