Cops urged: Enforce at all times laws to protect women, kids

The brutal murder of 16-year-old Christine Lee Silawan, has elicited outrage and calls for justice for the death of the teenager, whose face was also skinned by her assailants. | Delta Dyrecka Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police visibility and enforcement of laws to protect women and children should be imposed at all times and not only when victims come to the surface.

This is the call of a women’s right’s advocate, Samira Gutoc, to law enforcers amid the killing of Grade 9 student Christine Lee Silawan.

Gutoc told Cebu Daily News Digital at the sidelines of the Otso Diretso sortie in Cebu City on Tuesday, March 26 that Silawan’s brutal killing was the most extreme sign for law enforcement agencies to step up in tracking perpetrators of violence against women.

“It is the most extreme benchmark to demand that the justice system and the enforcement system, surveillance, police visibility, protection of women dapat paigtingin (should be improved and imposed) not only when we are already victims,” said Gutoc, who is also a senatorial candidate in the May elections.

“I honor Christine. She deserves justice. Naniniwala ako na biktima siya and it was barbaric. Only somebody like an animal could have  done it to Christine,” she said.

Read more: Murdered 16-year-old Christine Lee Silawan is laid to rest

Aside from that she also asked that Christine’s family be assisted in coping with the tragic death of their family member.

She also asked that barangay officials and schools to develop a mechanism to make sure that young children could go home safe and to prevent another similar incident from happening.

“I’d like Christine’s family to be assisted in the healing process and sa kanilang pagsurvive. The legislation should monitor barangay enforcement and school protection authorities. The schools should have a mechanism to guard or see how the young women are faring when they pass through our gates,” Gutoc said.

Read more: Robredo optimistic but also realistic about Otso Diretso’s chances in Cebu

Gutoc and other Otso Diretso candidates are here for a gathering of allies at the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) Convention Center in Mabolo, Cebu City today, March 26.

The candidates also attended the Democracy Forum with Former President Benigno Aquino III in Southwestern University (SWU) – Phinma earlier this afternoon./dbs