A volunteer goes to the court hearing
August 28, 2012 · By Johanna Hirte, Psychology Intern
The next day I went to a hearing in Iba, together with Mae, Yonelyn (Intern, volunteers) and two of the CSA girls. The girls were very brave and strong, I guess because they get a lot of encouragement from the social workers.I really respect Preda’s work, trying to achieve justice for the young girls.
In court I could recognize a strong representation of female lawyers and workers. I think this is not common in poor countries to have equal possibilities in the government or public institutions. I also recognized a lack of organization. A lot of cases took place during one trial session, which causes a very long waiting time for everybody.
I heard that even very small crimes take about one year to be judged. I also heard a story about one boy, which has a running legal case for 3 years now. His case is problems with drugs, Marijuana, and it is possible that this is going to cost him 20 years of his future life. How is that possible? Is it because he is 18 now? But during the time of arresting him, he was only 15. This punishment is unbelievable for me. Everybody, especially youths, make mistakes in life and such young people deserve another chance. Being in jail (Filipino jail!) will change him from a foolish, but good guy, into a criminal and does not solve any problem.
Johanna Hirte is a student of Psychology in Innsbruck, Austria and a Volunteer to Preda Foundation Inc.
