The Cover Up of Sex Crimes Against Children
(republishing, copying, no restrictions)
By: Father Shay
There are many serious problems facing the youth in
the Philippines today. At this critical time when almost two thirds of
the Philippines population is under the age of 25 the pandemic HIV-Aids
is an ever-present threat. It has been contained by education but never
the less it is moving into the population at an unknown rate. The life
and the well being of the youth of this country is endangered on a
massive scale. Prevention is the most effective and necessary strategy
to protect young people and children.
We have seen the nation of orphans in Africa and the hundreds of
thousands of young teenagers already infected with the virus, it’s
severe and heart-wrenching pictures of human suffering never seen
before. The great plague never took so many lives. The civil society
movement is strongly motivated to prevent such a terrible tragedy
occurring in the Philippines and is actively engaged in preventive
education programmes for youth.
Youth leadership development and HIV-Aids education is vital and it is
important and necessary to continue what has been successfully achieved
so far but much more remains to be done primarily because the growth of
international sex tourism has increased in the Philippines seemingly
because government officials at the highest levels turn a blind eye.
In the past two years the national government has played down the
HIV-Aids epidemic and there are almost no reliable or statistics, public
education or warnings. Youth get no preventive education in school
except what the NGOs provide. Likewise the new government has to change
this policy of neglect and non-caring.
Their attitude of see nothing-do-nothing is a death sentence for
thousands who could be saved. The government must counter the impact of
the international sex tourism that is targeting young children and youth
and spreading through the sex industry. Police until now is to deny any
cover up and discourage at all levels of government the reporting and
prosecution of foreigners whom are caught sexually abusing our children.
In fact the neighborhood officials and the police are the negotiators
with the abuser and the family of the abused child and money changes
hands. Everybody gets a pay off except the child who is left untreated,
unhealed and can be abused again and again.
The increasing demand for sexual encounters with younger persons and
children by high spending sex tourists stimulates the local pimps to
recruit younger and youngest children to supply the Euros and dollar
paying demand.
The cover up and denial of help has reached criminal proportions on the
island of Mindoro, South of Manila. 25 children eight and nine-years-old
were trafficked to the area and turned over to sex tourists on remote
beaches. They were shown child pornography videos in the beach houses
and trained to perform sexual acts on the tourists. The parents and
guardians were receiving the money. The chief of regional social
services said that there is no need to do anything further. Only one sex
tourist, an American, is in jail awaiting trial.
During a public meeting, the mayor, fearful for his tourist town would
be damaged if the story got out, suppressed all the news and begged
higher government officials not to take the children off the island to
get therapy and give testimony. Higher officials seem to be part of
conspiracy.
Leaving the children in that same situation has been officially declared
in the best interests of the child victims. This is the tragic reason
why so many children are being abused by foreign pedophiles with
impunity. Officials let it happen to promote tourism. This crime against
children has to be exposed, confronted and stopped by the Unicef and the
international community. Silence is the most insidious form of consent.
End
