Children Rally Against Sex Abuse
Document Title: Children Rally Against Sex Abuse
Document Ref No: R9709231
First Published: Reflections - Philippine Daily Inquirer
Publication Date: 23rd September 1997
Author's Name: Father Shay Cullen SSC
Children, parents and barangay officials rose up in anger against child
abuse and held a protest march to the capitol in Iba Zambales last September
22.
A controversial poster which critics say incites children to rebel was responsible.
Other think not.
Some people think that Paedophilia and child sexual abuse is confined to
the dark back alleys of Angeles or Olongapo and the sex parlors of Pasay
or Makati but it is here it is right in our schools and homes.
Mr. Adolf Battad, the High School principle, of Maloma, San Felipe, Zambales,
is being accused by the several children of allegedly attempting to seduce
them with lascivious language and touching their breasts. He denies the
allegations.
Some teachers have tried to threaten the children with low grades if they
pursue their complaint against their co-teacher. Other teachers fully support
the students.
These incidents of sexual harassment which had allegedly been going on over
a period of time came to light after the PREDA Foundation gave a hard hitting
seminar on the rights of the child including an offer of legal assistance
in any case of child sexual molestation.
The students were told "tell someone you trust completely", do
something. They were given a poster to spread around the school encouraging
everybody to report child sexual abuse.
They did. The student leaders organized the first ever student led protest
against child sex abuse and harassment. It brought the school to a close
and threw the officials who were covering it up into a panic. It's terrific
to see children standing up for their own rights.
Some officials say that the controversial poster telling children to stand
up for their rights is responsible. Other students ,teachers and parents
say it is liberating.
The barangay officials supported the students and so did their parents.
The school principal Mr. Battad went into hiding and has applied for his
early retirement.
Mrs. Lydia De Leon-Salas DECS School Division Superintendent of Zambales
allegedly scolded the students for holding a picket and castigated them
for exposing the abuse in public. Mrs. Salas denies this.
Under the child protection law R.A. 7610, it is mandatory for government
employees to report any knowledge of child abuse to higher authorities.
Allegedly Mrs. Salas is a close relative of the accused.
What is encouraging about "revolt" of the oppressed and exploited
is that teenage power is alive and well and even the youth have the courage
and confidence to take action to defend their own rights.
The time is passing when parents, state, church and society can look on
children as property, to be owned controlled and treated as they wish.
There was a time when children were told that they could be seen ... put
on display, but never speak. Children were to be seen but not heard.
Empowering youth with the knowledge of human and children rights and guiding
them to right action to redress child sexual abuse is the way of the future.
It is the special work of the PREDA Foundation who published the controversial
poster that some say is inciting children to rebel.
Parents and society are going to have to adapt to this change. The servility
and docility demanded and imposed on our children, in subtle but yet inhibiting
ways must give away to a upbringing where love, respect and family team
work is greater than the 'command and obey ' system.
Children have a great head-start in life if they are guided by their sense
of self-respect and self-esteem based on their dignity as children of God.
The apathy and uncaring attitude of many key government officials is a recipe
of abuse and disaster. The Annual Report of the Philippines to the United
Nations on the Goverment's compliance with it's international Obligations
under the Convention of the Rights of the child is due in a month and government
officials are scrambling to find out what, if anything has changed to better
the lot of Filipino children.
There have been lots of speeches and declarations, vows and commitments
about the abhorrence of child sex exploitation and child sex tourism but
how many pimps, operators of child brothels, local and foreign paedophiles
have been arrested, tried, convicted and jailed.
Precious few and the NBI refuses to cooperate.
One cooperative and dedicated PNP officer Col. Horacio Sotto, of Iba Zambales,
has been very cooperative and effective in capturing all sorts of notorious
criminals in the past few weeks. One who repeatedly raped his own daughter,
another who abused a seven year old. The children are recovering at the PREDA center, Olongapo.
One thing is clear however, the government has to get serious someday about
going after the paedophiles and pimps who sell our children like commodities
in the market or be guilty themselves by association and omission.
