Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Officer-in-Charge Emmanuel A. Leyco today expressed alarm over a recent report regarding high numbers of children in Zamboanga becoming pregnant as a result of incest and rape.

A report that came out today in the Philippine Daily Inquirer by Julie Alipala titled “Zamboanga phenomenon: 10-yr-olds giving birth” cited alarming statistics from the local health office in the city: 3,249 teenagers gave birth in Zamboanga in 2017  (52 girls gave birth at ages 10-13; 552 at ages 14-16 and 2,645 at ages 17-19). Local health sources also said that there were 410 mothers with ages 10-14 in 2016, while 558 were aged between 15 and 16. Those who gave birth at ages 17-19 numbered 2,118.

The Inquirer report also stated that in 2017 alone, the number of sexually abused children in Zamboanga City was 126.  It was determined how many of these figures were victims of incest as authorities chose to categorize the cases as rape.

The Population Commission has also reported that in the Zamboanga Peninsula, five girls aged 10-14 give birth each day.

“These statistics are most alarming. Children are becoming parents at an early age after being subjected to rape and incest – this is not a phenomenon that should be allowed to continue and must be stopped at once. Efforts must be made at the community level to make the public aware that rape and incest are not only wrong and punishable by law, but that they are a severe attack against the rights, health, and wellbeing of children.  These are serious forms of child abuse, and we cannot allow them to continue. Let us protect our children and provide those who have been victimized by incest and rape with the legal and psychosocial interventions necessary to help them recover from their ordeal. They are children, and they should be protected,” said OIC Leyco.

OIC Leyco said that DSWD Field Office IX will coordinate with the local welfare authorities on how to help address the worsening number of cases of child abuse in the city and the rest of the Zamboanga peninsula.

“The DSWD will coordinate and assist local government welfare units in their efforts to stop this situation from worsening and to assist the children who were victimized by rape and incest,” he said.

In the meantime, OIC Leyco said that there are 27 DSWD centers and institutions  around the country that  cater to children. Programs and services at these centers are treatment and rehabilitation including alternative family care and provision of 24-hour residential facilities . All these services are aimed at  restoring and developing the social functioning of the children to prepare them for family reunification and community reintegration.

In Zamboanga Peninsula, centers for children are the following:

Home for Girls

Address: Sta. Isabel, Dipolog City

Direct Line: (065) 212-6265

Lingap Center

Address: San Roque, Zamboanga City

Direct Line: (065) 991-4569

Reception and Study Center for Children (RSCC)

Address: Talon-Talon, Zamboanga City

Direct Line: (065) 991-4279