SENATOR Risa Hontiveros on Monday urged local government units to ensure that channels are open to victims of sexual or physical abuse.

Hontiveros cautioned that child abuse and exploitation cases may increase in areas under lockdown.

“Abuse and exploitation of children inside the home is more common than our society would like to admit. Iba’t ibang klase ng pang-aabuso ang nararanasan ng ating kabataan — sekswal man o pisikal — at kadalasan sa kamay pa ng mga indibidwal na pinagkakatiwalaan nila. Ngayong marami ang nakakulong ulit sa mga bahay, dapat talasan ng mga barangay at LGUs ang pagbabantay,” the chairperson of the  Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality said.

Data from Women and Children Protection Units in hospitals run by the Department of Health or local government units showed that sexual abuse cases are more common than physical abuses.

Thirty-three percent of these cases were incest.

“Many cases of child sexual abuse happen within the domestic environment. It does not help that our country’s age of sexual consent is still at 12 years old, the lowest threshold in the world, and predators often use this as a loophole to get away with child rape. Hindi lang online sexual abuse of children ang pataas nang pataas ngayong pandemya, maaaring domestic sexual abuse of children ay pataas din,” Hontiveros said.

The senator urged LGUs to be ready to provide psychosocial support to victims of physical or sexual abuse.

“Habang dumedepensa ang mga LGU sa komunidad at habang trinatrabahong mapasa ang pagpapataas ng age of consent, ang bawat mamamayan ay may responsibilidad din na siguraduhing walang bata ang nalalagay sa panganib. Tumulong sa pag-report. Tumulong sa kampanya laban sa karahasan. Our children will inherit the society they will grow up in. They are the reason we fight for the future they deserve,” she said.

Hontiveros principally authored the Raising the Age of Sexual Consent Act or Senate Bill 163 to raise the age of sexual consent from 12 to 18 years old.