BY FR. SHAY CULLEN
THERE is so much child abuse, human trafficking, injustice, oppression, poverty, inequality and violence in the world many can feel overwhelmed and sometimes hopeless. But when one has Christian faith and believes with conviction that justice, truth and goodness will overcome evil, we then have hope that change for the better will happen.
Last year 2023, it did happen for Angeline and 19 more child-victims of abuse that were healed and empowered at the Preda Foundation therapeutic home for abused children. We will celebrate that and the victories of about 503 more Preda children that won convictions against their abusers since 1996 when we first opened the girls home. On February 22, 2024, we will celebrate 50 years of service to Filipino children.
All the children suffered as Angeline did but they won victory eventually. Angeline (not her real name) was once a hurt, damaged, defeated and broken child. She was a victim of rape by sexual assault by her step-father. She was depressed, unable to talk to anyone, closed in on herself out of fear and intimidation. She had nothing to live for, her life was over she felt. But eventually she told someone and was rescued and found refuge, healing and protection at the Preda home for girls. There, she got the strength to confront her abuser in her Emotional Release Therapy.
In the padded therapy room, she poured out her buried feelings of hurt, pain and anger that she had held in for so long. The release was a powerful feeling of freedom. It was liberation from the fear, pain and humiliation of being used for the sexual gratification of an adult.
Then after a few months at Preda, she found the courage to file her case with the prosecutor in Bataan and the case went to trial in the sala of Judge Dorina S. Castro-Baltazar. The Preda social worker was allowed in the court to give support. Angeline testified with courage and told all what had happened to her clearly and with conviction to the judge and withstood the severe cross examination.
Recently, the great day of promulgation came, the waiting was over, and the stunning decision was read out. The judge noted in her Decision that Angeline testified with “spontaneity, honesty and sincerity.”
The Decision said that her stepfather was guilty of having committed two crimes of rape with sexual assault against her beyond reasonable doubt. It was a great victory, justice had prevailed.
Angeline had been believed, the truth came out and the one thing left was Judgement. Her stepfather was sentenced to eight years to 17 years of imprisonment on each conviction. There was relief, happiness and stronger faith. Truth had brought justice and it had overwhelmed the evil of child rape. He will be in prison where he can abuse no more children and hopefully repent, ask forgiveness and accept his penance.
You can see the list of convicted abusers on Preda’s “wall of shame” and “Victory List” won by the Preda children at www.preda.org and Preda Facebook.
That brings to 20 the convictions won last year 2023 by twenty-five brave and courageous Preda children who had the courage to ask for justice and found it through the courts with the help of Preda social workers and para-legal officers. (One trafficker abused several children) (To be continued)/PN
