DSWD records 320 child abuse cases in WV
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 6 has recorded 320 cases of child abuse in the past 10 years.
Of the 320 cases recorded from 2,000 up to the present, Iloilo got the highest record with 116 cases followed by Negros Occidental with 46 cases, Iloilo City, 34; Capiz, 30; Aklan, 18; Antique, 15; Guimaras, 14; Bacolod City, eight; and Roxas City, six. The 33 other cases also happened in Western Visayas but the victims came from different regions in the country such as Cotabato, Legaspi and Albay.
According to Judith Tanate, center head of Home for Girls (HFG), majority of these children were victims of rape with 118 cases, physical abuse, 32 cases; commercially sexually exploited, 20 cases; neglected, 19; acts of lasciviousness, nine; child labor, seven; five each for child trafficking and children-in-conflict with law (CILC), and 29 other cases such as emotional abuse, drug dependence, and voluntarily committed.
Among these child abuse cases, Tanate said that 35 children are currently under the care of the Home for Girls (HFG) based in the town of Cabatuan, Iloilo. The HFG serves as the temporary shelter of those abused children below 17 years old.
Tanate added that the youngest victim ages four-year-old. She was raped by his own father several years ago.
In-house victims were given counseling, trainings, and livelihood programs.
However, Tanate emphasized that the child abuse victims are staying at HFG forever. She stressed that once these victims were fully-recovered, they will be turned over to their proper custodian or guardian.