Phl comes up with project to save children from sexual abuse

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The government has developed a project that aims to save children from sexual abuse, a senior government official said today.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Soliman said that her office has come up with a project " Keeping a Sexually Abuse Free Environment (SAFE) for Out-of-School Children and Youth (OSCY) Through Protective Behaviour."

"The program aims to decrease the number of cases of abuses and violence, within the family or the community," she said, adding that this is done by strengthening the family and community members' awareness to prevent possible abuse.

In 2011, DSWD recorded a total of 5,966 cases of child abuse with 2,131 males and 3,835 females. There was a slight decrease in 2012, with 5,554 reported cases, 1,897 males and 2,005 females. These were the victims served in the centers managed by DSWD and communities, Soliman said.

The reported cases range from rape, incest acts of lasciviousness, prostitution, pornography, and trafficking.

Soliman said that the project is in accordance to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Presidential Decree 603 or the "Child and Youth Welfare Code" and Comprehensive Programme on Child Protection (2011-2016) among other national policies and frameworks on child protection.