A 38-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with raping his 16-year-old sister. It’s upsetting. You think this happens only in movies? Think again. This case is in Barotac Viejo, Iloilo.
Sexual abuse is a real-life, daily horror that haunts and shatters the lives of many. It is a nightmare that strips off the dignity of its victim as it inflicts unbearable physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual anguish. Despite all these truths, sexual abuse often remains as a dark narrative hidden in the souls of the victims because of the stigma that is unfairly inflicted by society on the victims themselves.
It is good that the House of Representatives has started plenary debates on House Bill 7836, a bill overhauling and upgrading the country’s laws on rape, sexual assault, and sexual abuse. The deliberations take place as rape cases continue to make headlines nearly every day, including rapes of children by adults, as well as rapes of men on men and children against children.
The bill provides for an increase in the age of determining the commission of statutory rape from 12 years old to below 16 years of age.
Also among the salient features of the bill is the provision of a clearer and more responsive definition of rape that covers forms of perversions not contemplated in the Revised Penal Code or the Anti-Rape Law of 1997. It likewise seeks to include the concept of grooming. The bill shifts the burden of proof on the offender in the case of rape as it provides the presumption of the lack of consent on the part of the victim.
To expedite and ensure the prosecution of violators, the bill expands the list of persons who may file rape complaints and enforces mandatory reporting of rape cases within 48 hours. It also prohibits the submission of affidavits of desistance and amicable settlements. Judges, prosecutors, and court officers are also directed to safeguard the privacy and confidentiality of rape proceedings, and as such, are mandated to hold close door proceedings.
Sexual violence significantly increases in emergency situations such as during armed conflicts and other humanitarian emergencies. The ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic has made more children vulnerable to sexual violence and it has also made reporting the occurrence of the same more difficult against aggressors that are within their households and family.
Against this distressing backdrop, it is patently clear that Congress needs to pass measures that will protect every Filipino from sexual abuse.
