BY FR. SHAY CULLEN
MORE LEGAL battles are on the way and these children (not their real names) have now filed their cases against their abusers. One, Rosi (now 13 years old) was blindfolded by her mother and sold to men to be raped. The mother likely videotaped the abuse and sold it online. Her father also sexually assaulted her. Rosi is a victim that found the courage and resilience to bring a case against her abusive parents and a rapist. The mothers of children are also participating in the crimes especially online sexual abuse. In her affidavit, this brave 13 year-old child who was sexually abused from the age of 10 tells of her worst experience.
“My mother started pimping me on my 10th birthday. It happened on March 5, 2018. My mom told me to go into my room. She was smiling and holding a handkerchief so I thought she had a surprise for me. She made me sit on the bed, and blindfolded me and said, “All right, Rosi, mama will just be here.” I said, “Okay.” Later, I felt four hands touching my breasts, my vagina, my hair and my whole body. They were just quiet. Then, I felt one of them put something inside my vagina and when it was inside my vagina, it vibrated. I felt so sick, I couldn’t think straight. I was dizzy and then fainted in shock.”
“When I woke up, my vagina and whole body still hurt. I saw that there was blood in the bed and there was viscous fluid in my body. They repeated this many times, especially on Sundays. I couldn’t report it right away because I was scared and my mother would beat me if I didn’t follow her orders. The last incident of pimping and raping me happened on October 2, 2021, a Saturday. As usual, Mom let me into the room. She said, “Don’t shout or cry.” I already knew what would happen next so I was scared. She blindfolded me, I felt like crying but I held back because I didn’t want to be beaten. She carried me to bed, sat me down and told me to stay quiet…….Then she said, ‘All right, stay there, I’m leaving your room now.’
“Then, I heard my mother talking to two men. I recognized the voice of one of the men. It was my father’s. Mother said to them, “There she is, she is in bed. You can now do to her what you want to do.” The men continued to rape and abuse her with a vibrator many times.
Then she met her grandmother and aunt and told them. They immediately got help at Preda and Rosi was saved. She was given welcome, comfort, support, affirmation, shelter, protection and days later she started therapy. She is now empowered and ready to testify against her abusers. They have gone into hiding.
Another child, call her Julie, was raped by her half-brother since she was seven years old. She is now 17. She was also raped by two uncles. The abusers are all from the paternal side of the family. With the legal help of Preda she is going after them all.
Another child, Maria from Leyte, was raped by her older brother. She escaped and went to Bataan and stayed with a foster family unrelated to her. There, the foster father made sexual advances. Then, she was raped by the son-in-law of her foster family. She, too, has filed her case against them.
There are 39 child victims in the care of Preda Foundation and most of them have filed their cases or have testified. Justice is coming to many rapists of these children. May there be more anniversaries to celebrate the victories, the freedom and the happiness of starting a new life free from fear and abuse for the Preda children. (www.preda.org)/PN
