'One for the books': Child Rights Network lauds Senate for passing 'End Child Rape' Bill on 3rd & final reading

"A development that's one for the books; a high point in child rights legislation."

This is how Child Rights Network (CRN), the largest alliance of organizations and agencies pushing for children's rights legislation in the Philippines, described the Senate's long-awaited passage of Senate Bill 2332 or the "Increasing the Age of Statutory Rape" Bill, more popularly known as the End Child Rape Bill.

With 22 senators voting in favor, and with one abstention, the Senate passed SB 2332 on third and final reading on September 27.

"Child rights advocates all over the Philippines are beyond elated with this development. Despite the grim situation we are facing amid the ravaging pandemic, we see a shining beacon of hope with the passage of the End Child Rape Bill. This truly monumental move expands the Philippines' legal mantle of protection for children. This is a historical moment that we will fondly look back on for decades to come," CRN Convenor Romeo Dongeto said.

"We offer our profound appreciation to all our senators who made it possible for SB 2332 to pass just in the nick of time, despite Congress having a lot in its hands right now – from passing the national budget to ensuring an effective pandemic response," Mr. Dongeto stressed.

The End Child Rape Bill amends pertinent provisions of Article 266-A of the Revised Penal Code and the Anti-Rape Law of 1997, which sets the age to determine the crime of statutory rape – or the crime that involves sexual contact with a child below the age of 12. In the anticipated law, the age will be raised to below 16 years, which is currently the global standard.

With SB 2332 now approved by the Senate, what is now left is for a bicameral conference committee to convene, with representatives from both houses of Congress sitting to reconcile any diverging provision that may be present between the Senate version and its counterpart bill. House Bill 7836 was approved on third and final reading by the House of Representatives back in December 2020.

Worth fighting for
CRN notes that the passage of the End Child Rape Bill did not come without challenges.

"It took years for advocates to push for the bill in the legislative mill successfully. It took herculean efforts of campaigning for groups and experts to push Congress to prioritize ending child rape, an issue that for decades was generally overlooked or was even ignored at some point. Public advocacy played a crucial role all throughout the process. CRN developed campaign materials to reveal the disturbing status quo where children get victimized by perpetrators who hide under the gaps of our extant laws, precarious situations that even get close to home. Yet despite all these, we in CRN can say: this bill was worth fighting for," Mr. Dongeto said.

Over the past few months, CRN along with several groups of medical professionals, public personalities, and legislators, worked non-stop to campaign for the End Child Rape Bill, to a point where the bill has garnered wide public support, as shown by an online petition supporting the bill which already raised over 314,000 signatures as of writing.

Filipino children and the youth themselves actively participated in several consultations and public fora, calling on legislators and the public to help them advocate for the expansion of the legal mantle of protection against rape.

"With the passage of the End Child Rape Bill, the future where no child is forced to undergo the harrowing experience of testifying in court how they were raped is no longer a distant dream, but now on the verge of becoming reality," Mr. Dongeto said, explaining that for statutory rape, only two things need to be proved: the child's age and that the sexual act happened.

CRN noted that both houses of Congress' move to pass the End Child Rape Bill aligns with the Philippines' obligation to enact measures to protect children against violence as a State party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

"The End Child Rape Bill is a gift that keeps on giving – as it not only makes it easier for child rape victims to access justice but at the same time nurtures a safer environment where children have stronger protection against sexual violence," Mr. Dongeto added.

CRN called on Congress to immediately convene the bicameral conference committee for the bill and have the landmark legislation up for the president's signature as law even before the start of the period of the filing of candidacy for the national polls.

"With the passage of the End Child Rape Bill, Congress has proven that it treats the interest and the welfare of Filipino children with great importance and that one of the best approaches in legislation is to put children at the heart of the law," Mr. Dongeto remarked. ###

About Child Rights Network
Child Rights Network is the largest alliance of organizations and agencies pushing for children’s rights legislation in the Philippines. www.childrightsnetwork.ph

Media Contact:
Richard Dy
crnphilippines@gmail.com