Remulla seeks ban on amicable settlements in incest rape cases
JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla is proposing to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo to ban amicable settlements in cases of incest rape.
This comes after a foundation reported that one in 20 Filipino children has experienced sexual abuse, with most cases involving incest rape or forced sexual activity within the family, which is often hidden to avoid public shame.
“We have a legal tradition problem here because there are settlements in court. We will refer this to the Court Administrator and we may write to the Chief Justice to have guidelines from the Supreme Court to our courts… not to allow settlements in such cases. There are also other offices that handle child abuse and incestuous rape cases that should not be settled,” Remulla said.
Remulla believes that court settlements with victims receiving compensation just to drop the case would only lead to repeated instances of incest rape.
“Our attitude on this matter should be non-negotiable. The practice of settling things should not be allowed here because it will happen again if we allow those who have no remorse or are not held accountable to remain free,” Remulla said.
Bernadette Madrid of the Child Protection Network Foundation revealed that one in 20 Filipino children has experienced sexual abuse, with most cases involving incest. The figure was based on a survey conducted by Madrid’s group among children and young adults aged 13 to 24 years old.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, an estimated two million Filipino children experienced online child sexual abuse and exploitation, Madrid said.
She added that these numbers may have increased during the pandemic, with the national center for missing and exploited children in the United States reporting a 265% rise in online sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines.
“This is based on the child sexual abuse images that they monitor on the web. We have the highest increase in the world at 265%,” Madrid said.
She expressed concern that reported cases of sexual abuse may only represent the tip of the iceberg, with many cases going unreported.
“That’s still just the very peak of the iceberg because we’re talking about millions. Reports are very low, and the same national baseline study showed that less than 1% report to authorities,” Madrid said.
