LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Rep. Eric Yap slammed the proliferation of sexual abuse cases in the province, saying that sexual violence has no place in the province.
Yap issued the stern warning after visiting the family of an 11-year old rape victim in one of the province’s barangays to learn about her condition and the state of her family. The young lady was allegedly raped by a drunk neighbor. The lawmaker also gave assistance to the victim’s family in the form of construction materials which will be used to enclose their house for their own safety and security.
Congressman asserted that victims of sexual abuse should not be ashamed to come out in the open to teach their abusers the needed lesson for them not to repeat similar acts against other in their communities.
He also warned abusers to start reforming themselves because efforts to go after them had already been strengthened by the concerned local officials in close coordination with the police force in their respective communities.
According to him, the youth and women should have a safe environment to work on that is why efforts to address the proliferation of sexual abuse cases in the different barangays are continuously being enhanced to ensure that perpetrators of such acts will be immediately arrested and charged for them to answer for the crimes that they had committed.
The lawmaker called on sexual abuse victims or people who know of such victims to report the said incidents to the nearest police station or even to his office and that appropriate assistance will be extended to them to go after their abusers for them to be made answerable to the crimes that they committed.
Congressman Yap encouraged said victims to start moving out from the culture of silence because it will just allow abusers to freely do what they want, thus, the need for victims to be brave in coming out in the open and reporting to the authorities that incidents that transpired so that appropriate actions will be undertaken to arrest and charge their abusers and for them to languish in jail as a consequence of their abusive actions.
Earlier, Yap filed a bill seeking the establishment of a haven for abused women in the different towns of the province to serve as a safe home for victims of sexual violence among other offenses against the youth and women.
He admitted that based on reports reaching office, many victims of sexual violence prefer to be silent on what happened to them for fear of their safety and security including that of their families and because of the culture of silence among them.
However, the Benguet congressman emphasized that the prevailing situation is now different as it is high time for victims of sexual abuses to be brave enough in reporting their ordeal to the concerned authorities since it is the only way by which their perpetrators could be punished pursuant to existing laws to teach them the needed lesson and send the message to future perpetrators not to commit the same offenses against the youth and women in the province. By Dexter A. See
