Just Sweet Dreams

by FEBRIELYN S. TUMINES and MIA ROSE V. EMBOLTURA

(Cartoon by Jerson Elmido)

She turned off the light, hoping that the night will offer her a promise of sweet dreams. Tomorrow will be Saturday and Mailie will be helping her Nanay prepare the chicharon, salted peanuts she’s going to sell. She closed her eyes, and suddenly she was halfway asleep when a soft brush of hands crawled in her thigh. She was caught in between dreams and reality, but she saw a man’s figure leaning towards her to steal a kiss…

The next scenes became a nightmare that she wished it truly was. She tried to resist his grasp but he was strong enough for her to fight back. A beam of the moonlight struck the face of the silhouette; she saw her stepfather’s face with a grin and malice. Then she became the piece of wood pierced by a hammered nail.

She was sixteen and for her, the world stopped not until she was under the care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. She started a new life together with other abused children.

Under the protective custody of the DSWD, the abused children are given rehabilitation through group therapy by the social workers, house parents, region-based psychologists with the help of the rehabilitation team. Counseling is also given and the children were motivated to participate in some productivity-skills training activities like baking, pot-making, etc.

Other services provided by the department include, Social services, Home-life services through providing of basic needs from food to toiletries,  Psychological services, Health or dental services, Educational services by sending these children to school, Economic services through skills-training, Recreational services, Developmental and Spiritual services as well.

The abused children, with their cooperation and their family’s support, are sent to school provided with confidentiality as to their condition in order to avoid social stigma. They are allowed to live like ordinary children, going to school and playing with children of their age.

“So far, indi mo makita sa physical nga abused. Damo ang defiant, ginagaan man sila choices kag freedom. Dapat may willingness gid ang bata.”[You cannot trace the abuse in their physical features. Many are defiant, but of course they were given the choices and freedom. There should be willingness in the child.], said, Ms. Judith Tanahe, Center Head, Home for Girls of DSWD Field Office VI. “Behavior is the overt manifestation of the feelings or emotions of the child”, she added.

Presently, laws protecting the women and children from abuse were enacted including Anti-Sexual Harassment, Anti-Rape and Rape Victim Assistance and Protection, Anti-Trafficking in Persons, Anti-Violence against Women and Children with Women’s and Children’s Desks and Services. But despite all these, based on the Child Protection Unit Network (CPU-Net) 2007 Statistics, Out of 4456 reported cases, there are 1,328 cases on child abuse at the age of 13-15, while there are 954 cases at the age of 16-17. About 77 % of these cases are on sexual abuse, 16% on physical abuse, 2% on physical with sexual abuse. In Region VI, Western Visayas Medical Center, as a member of CPU-Net has treated 238 cases.

By region, the most number of child abuse cases served by the DSWD in 2007 came from Region IX, Region III, Region VII, NCR, and Region I. While the most number of families served are in Region V, Region VI, Region IV-A, Region VIII, Region II and Region XII.

To be under the care of DSWD, they spend a worthwhile to examine the profile of its clientele and its priorities to make sure some sectors are not being left behind in the delivery of services they need.

Mailie turned off the light. But now she’s assured that she’ll have a sweet dream under a new haven she can call home. There will be no more hands crawling on her thigh, jut sweet dreams.