TACLOBAN CITY– Cases of rape across the region saw a ‘significant decrease’ last year compared to 2021.
Citing a report from the Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD), the police regional headquarter said that 341 rape cases were logged in 2022, which is lower than in 2021 or a drop of 19.76% or 425 in actual incidents.
“The decrease of 84 incidents was made possible through the combined efforts of Police Regional Office 8 and other counterparts advocating for women’s protection against various forms of violence,” said Brigadier General Rommel Francisco Marbil, police regional director, in a statement.
“We cannot do this alone. We need the support and full cooperation of the public, especially in reporting such violence. I encourage women and children to be well informed and to assert their rights, as we are one with them in our fight for a VAWC-free community,” he stressed.
Despite the decline in rape incidents, the region’s WCPD, headed by Major Analiza Armeza, continuously provides “constant information drive through conferences, lectures, seminars, and training on special laws that protect women and children, including the conduct of house-to-house visits.”
Meanwhile, Marbil has ordered all the line units to “double their efforts” in preventing all types of abuses and cases of violence against women and their children (VAWC) in their areas. (RONALD O. REYES)
