The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Monday expressed concern about the reported abduction and violence of two children in Laguna and Bulacan, respectively.
On Aug. 9, a 15-year-old female biker was found dead in a grassy area in Bulacan, a few days after she was reported missing. Based on reports, she was raped before she was slain.
In another recent report, a seven-year-old girl was found dead in a sack at the back of a house in Pila Laguna. According to findings, she was found on Aug. 15 with no clothes and had bruises all over her body.
CHR Executive Director Atty. Jacqueline Ann de Guia in a statement said the commission condemned the violence and indignities experienced by two girl children.
“These incidents further highlight the vulnerabilities faced by children. Children have the right to a safe and empowering environment so they may eventually live a productive life,” she said.
De Guia asserted that crimes faced by girl children should alarm the government to act on the problem along with the issues of gender equality, exclusion, and lack of access to opportunities for education and empowerment in the country.
She added that as students returned to school, the government must ensure children’s safety and security to prevent another similar incident from happening again.
De Guia said that CHR's regional offices in Region III and IV-A are already conducting “motu propio investigations to help seek justice and accountability from the perpetrators of these human rights violations.”
“We look forward to the resolution of these cases consistent with relevant laws protecting the rights of girl children and women, such as the Magna Carta of Women,” she added.
Senator Imee Marcos on Monday also sought a probe on abduction and killings in the country.
She called on the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to “immediately investigate and punish any perpetrators of the disappearance of individuals, particularly female children who were raped and brutally killed.”
“Dapat wala silang sasantuhin,” she added.
