PREDA NEWSLETTER March 1999

  Dear Friends, 

 The Recovery of Sexually Abused Children  I just left the primal room where the cries and weeping of a primal therapy session with the children is still going on. They are in the good care of the therapists as they release their pent up emotional pain and anger at the abusers who sexually exploited them. They kick the padded wall and floor, pound the cushions and pour out all their pent up hurt and anger. Some lash out at their parents, who abused them, allowed them to be abused or refused to believe the child when she begged for help.

 The therapists, Carina, Judith, Marsha are there to give reassurance and comfort. Afterwards when the cries and weeping dies down they gather in a group to share with the therapists and each other the relived experiences that had come flooding back to them. They wipe away the tears and smile in relief and are happy that at last they got it out and rid themselves of the tension fear and hurt that they carried for so long.

 The children are healing day by day, growing stronger, more self-assured, more articulate and confident. They feel their self-respect returning and life in the community of 46 children becomes more harmonious and peaceful as a result. They are on the road to reconciliation with their past and even one day will find forgiveness for their abusers. But they are also stronger in their determination to find justice for themselves, bring their abusers to court and prevent other children from being abused.

  The Preda Children’s Home is a therapeutic community for sexually and physically abused children. It provides protection, shelter, recovery and a ew lease on life for these children. Many say that there can be no recovery and no normal life. But we believe that there is. The children, when shown love and respect, find peace, tranquility, become absorbed in arts and crafts therapy and have a change to study and join in games and sports it’s a dream come true. All of these normal activities were forbidden to them when they were in the power of their abusers.

 Many of the children, when they have recovered their sense of dignity and self-esteem they ask to continue their legal case against their abusers and that has us busy with many legal procedures, attending court, finding the evidence to help their cases and being there for them. 

  

Death Penalty Opposed by PREDA

 
Many of the children were very much affected by the execution of a child rapist. It was the first death penalty carried out in the Philippines for 23 years by lethal injection. Executed was a child rapist but we explained to the children that such a cruel punishment achieves nothing other than driving the abuser to commit even worst crime of murdering his victim to get rid of the evidence and doing more crimes. Since he knows he can only be executed once for one crime he might as well commit many more. PREDA has been campaigning against the death penalty for years and last month our letters to the editor against it were printed in several national dailies.  

Stopping the Visiting Forces Agreement  

Another goal we are working for is the rejection by the Philippine senate for a Visiting Forces Agreement that will allow US troops, planes and ships free access to Philippine sea, land and air ports without control or restriction for no definite period and grant them diplomatic status and immunity from prosecution. Our opposition to this proposed agreement is based on our experience of the effect on women and children of the former US Military bases in the Philippines. The presence of thousands of troops spawned a huge commercial sex industry that turned thousands of children and women into sex-slaves, prostituted for the pleasure of sex tourists and US sailors.  

Please write a short letter before March 30th to one or more of the senators asking him or her to vote against the VFA. We only have to convince three more to say no and that is a winning number and the VFA will be defeated. Write to any one or more of the Senators listed here asking them to vote against the VFA. For example;  

Dear Hon. Senator (Name),
Philippine Senate
Roxas Blvd.,
Pasay City, Philippines  

The VFA can only bring about harm to the Filipino people and lead to the sexual exploitation of women and children. Please vote against it. (Say anything you wish your letter could be the one to tip the balance.)  

Signed.  

SENATORS E MAIL  

1. Rodolfo Biazon [email protected]
2. Nikki Coseteng [email protected]
3. Juan Flavier [email protected]
4. Teofisto Guingona [email protected]
5. Gregorio Honasan [email protected]
6. Robert Jaworski [email protected]
7. Loren Legarda [email protected]
8. Blas Ople [email protected]
9. Sergio Osme-a III [email protected]
10. Raul Roco [email protected]
11. Miriam Santiago [email protected]
12. Tito Sotto [email protected]
13. Ramon Magsaysay [email protected]  

Children as young as four and six sexually exploited.  

The documented record shows thousands of crimes against women and children went unpunished during the occupation of the bases in the Philippines. PREDA uncovered US navy intelligence reports made by US Navy undercover investigators that found children as young as four, six, eleven, and thirteen years old were being offered for sexual abuse to military personnel and sex tourists for thirty US dollars.  

No charges and no help for victims  

The investigators brought the pimps and victims to hotels to photograph and document the transactions and monitor the extent of the child sex industry. However, the local government of Olongapo covered up the damaging reports and no pimps were ever charged and the child victims were never rescued or helped. They were left with the pimps and were surely abused by real customers at other times. They were taken to other customers no doubt to be abused. Since PREDA began exposing the abuse, rescuing children and bringing charges against the abusers, the city officials and bars and club owners retaliated by trying to close the PREDA center, harassed the social workers with threats and by making false charges.  

Psychiatric Counseling  

The children receive regular psychiatric counseling and evaluation by the consulting psychiatrist Dr. Norietta Calma who is also a consultant with the child protection unit of the Philippine General Hospital. Her help is invaluable in guiding the therapists and social workers in helping the children recover.  

Minors rescued from Brothels are recovering quickly  

Two minors and an 18 year old rescued by PREDA social workers from the brothel-bars of Angeles City last December are recovering well from their traumatic experience. The two minors are safe at the PREDA Children’s Home actively engaged in study programme and getting ready to enroll in high school under the PREDA education programme next semester. The 18 year old is already enrolled in a college course. One of the minors is now actively pursuing justice against her abuser and the pimp who brought her to the brothel.  

PREDA children graduating from high school  

PREDA children recovering from abuse are encouraged to return to their studies when fully capable. Several are graduating from high school this year and recently, they participated in the Junior and Senior prom night at the school. It was a gala occasion and they were so proud to be a part of the festivities. They are full of self-confidence, mature and doing very well.  

Intern student completes training course  

Yukiko Miyazaki, an intern social worker student who has been very active in the children’s therapeutic and recovery programme has successfully completed her study course at PREDA after 4 1/2 months. A special party marked her departure. The children performed their dances, sang songs and staged short dramas as part of the entertainment. Yuki is being missed by all.  

 

Extension to children home begun  

Work has begun last February on the site preparation for an extension to the children’s home. The number of abused children seeking shelter from their abusers has increased by more than 100 % since July 1998 and new accommodation is essential. Other childcare projects are referring the children to PREDA, as they cannot provide the protection and long term recovery.  

Thousands of school children get child rights seminars  

The public education Department reached thousands of school children and teachers as well as community leaders through its integrated seminars on AIDS, Child abuse and drug abuse preventive programme. The seminars are presented by a professional team of Preda educators assisted by college students.  

Norwegian project helps scholars fight sex tourism  

These bright students from poor families are receiving financial help through a joint-project between the Norwegian Travel Association and PREDA. They are preparing for a career in the tourist industry where they will contribute to the creation of a healthy industry and work against sex tourism. Besides succeeding in their college course they learn how present a positive message to prevent child abuse and exploitation to elementary and high school children. They do this through group dynamics and using hand puppets. The show, complete with a strong story line, music and dialogue presents common problems faced by children and presents solutions that the children can adopt to prevent themselves from being abused and what to do if it ever happens to them. There will be twenty students receiving financial assistance in 1999 school year.  

Former prostituted children now child rights advocates  

There are three well teenagers, graduates of the PREDA Children’s home therapeutic programme who are active public speakers. They make effective presentations at workshops and seminars conducted by PREDA education team. These seminars are for social workers, church workers and other community leaders. These teenagers are former victims of domestic sexual abuse and prostitution. They are active child rights advocates and consider it their right to participate in the campaign against child abuse and want to speak out about the exploitation and abuse of children.  

Norwegian Paedophile ring busted  

PREDA helped break up a Norwegian Paedophile ring whose members came to the Philippines in the early seventies and abused young boys in Pagsanjan. Five of them were arrested in the Philippines in 1984 but were able to escape without trial. One later married the estranged mother of six young boys and brought them to Norway where they were abused by the Paedophiles there. The abusers returned to the Philippines and continued abusing boys. PREDA identified the victims and the ringleader for the Norwegian police who opened an investigation that led to the arrests.  

Foreign Paedophile ring in Olongapo defeated again  

The foreign Paedophile ring made up of sex tourists and their supporters in Olongapo who have been harassing the PREDA children’s Home with false legal complaints suffered more set backs when two more of their complaints were dismissed by the Public Prosecutor. In retaliation they have filed two more formal complaints of libel and slander against PREDA staffers in a seemingly never-ending swirl of court cases. Staffers at PREDA have charged members of this ring with crimes of defamation, libel, making false charges, obstructing justice and child abuse. Others who are tagged as accomplices and sympathizers to the Paedophile ring will be named in a future case.  

PREDA Fair Trade Products at National Fair  

The PREDA Fairtrade project assists small producer groups making quality products and finds them steady buyers. The livelihood projects are village based or are in squatter areas and provide employment with just wages and conditions. This helps alleviate malnutrition and brings modest prosperity so child can go to school and keep off the streets. The projects help prevent migrations.  

The products manufactured keeps hundreds employed and at the same time promotes the Fair Trade concept to end exploitation and abject poverty and keeps parents from selling children to brothels. In February, the project managed by Merle Hermoso, the PREDA General manager, participated in the national trade fair in Manila. Valuable export contacts were made and new orders placed. These will help keep the village producers and cooperatives busy for the next year. Alleviating poverty, keeping families together and prospering and the children at school is the best way to prevent migration and the prostitution of children, end the hopelessness, unemployment and despair and we can have happy families that work in dignity and decency. That is the goal of the PREDA Fair Trade project.