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Rape cases are decreasing, but authorities should not rest easy,
saying police figures capture only a fraction of the actual number
of rape cases because many victims are still too ashamed if not too
intimidated to initiate a criminal action.
Citing police statistics, Cotabato Rep. Emmylou
Taliño-Mendoza said a total of 618 rape cases were reported from
January 1 to March 31 this year. This shows a decrease of 11 percent
or 77 incidents, compared to the 695 listed in the same period in
2007.
The first quarter figures appear to sustain the
downtrend in reported rape cases since 2005. However, Taliño-Mendoza
also cited a study implying that the actual cases could be up to
eight times the number of rape complaints lodged with the police.
A total of 2,436 rape cases were reported in
2007. This is 6 percent or 153 incidents less compared to the 2,589
documented in 2006, and also shows a decrease of 18 percent as
against the 2,962 logged in 2005.
Taliño-Mendoza proposed measures to help the
authorities and communities cope with rape cases and other forms of
sexual violence against women and children:
This includes the creation of anti-sex crimes
units in all regional offices of the police and the National Bureau
of Investigation;
She also suggests the full implementation of the
law mandating the creation of a desk for women and children in every
police station nationwide;
She also bats for adequate funding for the Rape
Victim Assistance and Protection Act, which provides for the
creation of one rape crisis center in every city and province;
She recommends the creation of “extra special
courts” to handle all domestic cases, including incidents of
incestuous rape, as provided for in the Family Courts Act.
She also calls for more aggressive drives
against drug and alcohol abuse, and all forms of pornography
Taliño-Mendoza made her proposals shortly after
Sen. Juan Ponce-Enrile introduced a bill seeking to raise to
“below 16 years” the age threshold for victims of statutory
rape.
If approved, this means that the rape of any
girl below 16 years old would be considered statutory rape. At
present, statutory rape is only committed when the victim is
“below 12 years” old. It is punishable with life imprisonment,
or 20 years and one day to 40 years.
Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez also
introduced a bill proposing to establish an online national database
of all convicted sex offenders, as well as those still being tried
in court for sex crimes.
Meant to alert the authorities at the community
level, the information system would include the name, date of birth,
address, physical description and photograph of every sex crime
convict, the sentence received as well as the likely date that he
may be set free.
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