BY FR. SHAY CULLEN
IN THE Philippines, the powerful ruling elites that controlled the passing of laws in the Congress blocked the efforts of child rights advocates for years to raise the age of consent for a child to have sexual relations from 12 year old to 16.
When powerful congress-women were elected in recent years, that changed. Only in March 2022, the age when a child could give consent was raised to 16 years of age. Any sexual act against a 16-year old and younger is statutory sex abuse, according to Republic Act (RA) No. 11648.
Child abuse is widespread in the Department of Education, too, a situation that the majority of good teachers and principals find difficult to uncover. The dedicated Vice President Sara Duterte, who is also the Education secretary, has a big challenge to eliminate child sexual abuse being perpetrated by male teachers.
She should order their immediate suspension when credible evidence of abuse is presented. The latest case is that of a 40-year-old teacher in Olongapo that groomed his female student and allegedly raped an 11-year-old in a hotel.
The action-minded Vice President Duterte could use some of the billions of confidential funds to compensate the child victims and reward whistle-blowers that report child abusing teachers.
I have written earlier about the Missio research into the clerical abuse of Religious Women in Asia and Africa. Many have been outspoken. Here is what more have said about the abuse they and their sisters endure and suffer.
The report said: “The majority of the respondents gave the issue of abuse of women religious a very high level of importance. When asked what the Church was doing to address the issue the overall answer was not much was being done.”
In summary, the respondents reported the reasons for this inaction by church authorities because of a culture of denial, a sense of entitlement and a policy to conceal crimes and cover up. Some respondents said to speak out against abuse is taboo.”
Here is what the women religious said in the Missio survey: One group said: “In general the issue is hidden under the carpet and the victim faces the burden alone. The bishops are afraid to open the topic in fear of losing their name and inability to face the shame. There have been instances where the victim committed suicide. In other cases the scandal is openly accepted and ignored.”
Another group reported that “…we have made many attempts to bring it (a case of sexual abuse by a bishop) to the attention of the national bishop’s conference, the nuncio and even the Vatican through letters though we have not had any positive response.”
“Often the victim is blamed as a seducer. So she will not have the confidence to tell what has happened.”
Another said: “Most of it is hidden, the women are shamed and the clerical predators stay in power.”
“Crimes are not reported because of “fear of insults, fear of spoiling the image of the congregation and oneself, fear of being blamed/labeled as “bold”…, fear of being threatened, fear of isolation and vindictiveness, …afraid of the reaction of the perpetrator, …afraid of …being sent away from the congregation.”
Another said: “I was told that I betrayed the Church when I spoke out about the abuses of women and children in the church.”
For some clergy a group said: “The very notion of abuse does not exist. Many things are played down by saying that the women religious who have sexual experiences have agreed to it. They are not considered as victims.”
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Report abuse in confidence to shaycullen@gmail.com www.preda.org./PN
