By Rose Frejane A.Cruz
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – The City Social Welfare and Development Office reported a total of 180 incidents of Child Abuse were recorded of which 65 cases were filed, while 115 cases were not filed in the year 2025.
In the data, 50 were physical abuse; 31 were incest rape; 23 were sexual abuse; 19 were neglect; 17 were acts of lewdness; 15 were emotional abuse; 12 were sexual molestation; 11 were incest-related rape (RA 11862) and two were Trafficking in Persons.
The 180 cases of data in 2025 show a decrease from the 271 reported cases in 2024, where 48 were filed while 223 were not yet filed.
In the said data, 53 were, while 117 were female victims, of which 17 belonged to the age group of 0-5; 15 were 6-8 years old; 23 were 9-11 years old; 82 were 12 to 15 years old, and 34 were 16-17 years old.
It was further stated that 32 of the perpetrators were unrelated to their victims, while the rest could be family, neighbors, stepmothers, girlfriends, classmates, in-laws, playmates, landlords, family friends and acquaintances.
For Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL), data from January to December 2025 shows 168 cases of which 24 were female and 144 were male; 129 were students and 39 were OSY.
Most of them, 111 belonged to the age group of 12 to 15 years old; while 47 were 16 to 17 years old, and there were five each for the age groups of 9 to 11 and 18 to 20.
Their offenses included robbery, physical harm, assault, alleged frustrated murder, slight physical harm, attempted murder, sexual molestation, alleged sexual abuse, alleged rape, carnapping, robbery, rape, murder, grave coercion; alleged statutory rape, robbery, extortion and physical harm.
In this regard, interventions are being implemented through coordinated efforts from government agencies while citing data from Child Abuse (CA), Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL) and Children at Risk (CaR) cases in 2025 at the recently held first quarter meeting of the Local Council for the Protection of Children (LCPC).
These interventions include strengthening child protection systems, community awareness campaigns, support for families at risk, and collaboration with schools and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Medical, financial, food, educational, and livelihood assistance is available through the CSWDO, such as temporary shelter, counseling, psychological first aid, life skills, parenting sessions, value building, and referrals to protective custody.
Safety assessment, debriefing, physical examination, referral, transportation, facilitation of sworn statements, and ongoing monitoring are also provided through the Health Services Office (HSO), Baguio City Police Office (BCPO), Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC), in coordination with other agencies.
