CEBU CITY, Philippines — Parents should be monitoring the whereabouts of their children and know the persons they are with as preventive measures that would help in protecting the children from rape.
Although rape incidents, like any other crime, can be unpredictable, there are ways or measures that will help one from not becoming a victim and these measures must begin with the parents’ initiative, as they are the ones responsible for their children.
Thus, protecting their children from rape includes first hand knowledge on where their children are and who they are with when they are not at home.
This is the reminder of Police Lieutenant Colonel Marylou Cuizon, head of the Regional Women and Children Protection Desk in Central Visayas (RWCPD-7), amid the recent arrest of suspects in rape cases.
“Ang mga batan-on kay mahilig man gyud og kalingawan, so kinahanglan og proper monitoring sa ginikanan. Kay primary responsibility na sa ginikan sa pag-tanaw sa ilang anak,” said Cuizon.
(Because the youth are fond of enjoying activities with friends, they have to be properly monitored by their parents. It is the primary responsibility of the parents to look after their children.)
For those who are old enough to be responsible for themselves, knowing when to stop in having fun and not easily trusting people are also important measures to protect one’s self from becoming a victim.
Protecting women and children from rape
Following a presidential directive issued by President Rodrigo Duterte, Cuizon said they were tasked to implement regulations that would better protect women and children from rape.
For one, Cuizon said, they have ordered their units to focus on arresting individuals with pending cases involving violence against women and children.
“(All) pending warrant of arrest for rape are supposed to be implemented,” said Cuizon.
But since rape is a crime often revealed later, when the victim is ready to talk about what has happened, Cuizon said the police, the parents and the community should do their part.
For the police, Cuizon said that they have scheduled monthly visitation in schools where they give lectures on safety tips that would protect them from crimes such as rape.
Basic knowledge about the law such as the rights of the victim and the charges that can be filed against the suspects are included in the seminars, she said.
Warning to perpetrators
All preventions are however in vain when the persons continue to commit the crime despite knowing the penalty that await rapists.
Cuizon said individuals who are intend to commit the rape should know that they are not in their “right mind” because no persons in their normal state of mind would not commit such a crime.
“Kung insakto imong utok dili man siguro ka mo buhat og ingana (If you are in the right mind, you probably won’t do the crime),” said Cuizon.
She warns persons who are thinking of committing rape not to carry out their plans as they will be hunted down until they pay the consequences of their actions./elb