Protect your child from being raped in her classroom, at home and more!

This is what a baby rapist looks like!

Last August 1, horrifying news of a 11-month-old raped and killed sent chills down the backs of parents across the country. Homeless and sleeping on the street, the little girl was abducted by a street vendor while she was lying beside her mother. The next morning, her half-naked body was found by a driver as he was cleaning his jeepney. The city government of San Juan has offered P100,000 to anyone who can help in the capture of the prime suspect.

Pedophiles, child molesters or sexual predators no longer cower in bushes or lurk behind dark street corners, waiting for unsuspecting children. They are more brazen and may be people you know, you wave hello to. People you talk with, worst of all, the monster may be someone you trust.

A child predator may be someone who works with children

According to the Philippines Center for Investigative Journalism,17-year-old Paul (not real name) was made to sleep at the guardhouse of Manila Boys Town in Marikina as punishment for a mischievous act he says he did not commit. But then the officer-in-charge of the facility changed his mind; Paul was to stay at the OIC’s living quarters while the boy was still “under observation.”

Paul took this as an act of kindness from the official. One night, though, he was startled to find the official beside him in bed. In a Dec. 12, 2005 complaint filed with the Division of City Schools in Manila, Paul recounted that the official — who the boy said would also barge into the bathroom whenever he was taking a bath — molested him.

While pedophiles can work anywhere, they do find ways to be around children as often as possible. It may not be their principal profession, but a voluntary or weekend position as a sports coach, camp counsellor, school bus driver, or daycare worker.

A child predator may be a close relative or partner

Unfortunately, children who fall prey to sexual predators may stay quiet about the attacks because they love the perpetrator. Case in point, the perpetrator may be a relative or even the child’s own father. A person concerned about child molestation going on in a relative’s home may be surprised to know that the mother of the child is aware, and complicit, for similar reasons of feeling intimidated by the molester and not wanting the “family” to split up should the situation be revealed.

Taken from gmanetwork.com, Camille (not her real name) was raped at the age of eight, got pregnant at nine, and gave birth when she was ten years old. She is now 12 years old. According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, she is one of the youngest mothers in recorded Philippine history.

The father of her child? Her own dad. According to Camille’s mom, Corazon, the abuse started when the father had become unemployed and would often get drunk.

“Yung husband ko, sabi niya, hindi raw niya alam na ginawa niya. Hindi niya raw alam. Parang may sumanib sa kanya,” Corazon says. She has since forgiven her husband and insists that he is a good man. She says unemployment caused his depression at the time. Camille was also puzzled by her mother’s reaction to the abuse. “Si Mama kasi, as in, love na love niya si Papa. Minsan sinasabi niya, ‘Wala ka bang balak iurong [ang kaso]?’ Tapos sinagot ko na ‘Ano ako, tanga? Bakit ko iuurong?’ Corazon admits that she is torn between wanting justice for her daughter and wanting to keep her husband. Meanwhile, Camille has given up her child for adoption. She says she wants her child to have a clean slate—a shot at a different future.

A child predator likes to give your kid gifts- constantly!

Beware of toys or gifts from an unknown source turning up in your child’s possession. Pedophiles often like to “buy” your child with presents and once they gain the child’s confidence, the perpetrator then lures the child away with the promise of more toys, food or money.

In January 2014, a pedicab driver confessed to raping and killing a 6-year-old girl in Manila. Suspect Mark Leo Avila, 29, was arrested after (CCTV) camera footage showed him accompanying the victim, 6-year-old Arlyn Joy before her dead body was found at a poorly-lit lot in Paco.

She was wearing a white tank top but had no trousers. The girl’s genitals were lacerated, indicating she was likely a victim of rape. Her head also bore bruises. The suspect would often give Arlyn money to buy food or candy, which may be why the child did not hesitate going with him when he asked her to join him for a walk.

A child predator may be a well-respected community member

According to gmanetwork.com, a Filipino math teacher working in the United Arab Emirates faces a jail term after admitting before a UAE court that he molested a 14-year-old Filipino student.

According to the charge sheet, the teacher had asked the pupils to leave the classroom of their Al Ghusais school so he could be alone with the victim. “Then he asked me to massage his back and shoulders while he stayed in his chair,” the boy narrated. “Then he turned around and touched me indecently.” He added the teacher “made me touch him and hugged me before he tried to kiss me.”

Pedophiles can be respected community members with social graces and easy manner.  They may come across as being helpful and trustworthy. They will touch the children in playful ways, playing special “games” eventually meant to culminate in sexual contact.

Tips for parents on how to spot a pedophile

Before we begin with the list of tips, it’s very important that parents remember to always trust their instincts. If you feel that something isn’t right, cut off communication between your child and the person in question.

• Be wary of individuals who try to turn your child against you. They may be mentally and emotionally brainwashing your child in such a way that they become the center of importance in your child’s life.
• Understandably, there will be individuals who will love to spend time with your child. But keep an eye on people who take every possible opportunity to be with your child. Especially when it’s just the two of them.
• They encourage inappropriate or sexual talk.
• They’re very “hands on” with your kids: they enjoy a lot of physical play, wrestling, tickling and let your child climb all over them.
• They, personally, do not have age-appropriate peer relationships: an older woman constantly hanging out with teenage boys or vice-versa.

More tips for parents…

• Teach your child about “good touch” and “bad touch”
  • If your child is not comfortable kissing or hugging people other than you and fellow family members, then that’s fine. Don’t force him to do something he isn’t comfortable lest you send him mixed signals about physical contact with people he isn’t comfortable with.

• The bathing suit method
  • Teach your child that body parts that are covered up while wearing a bathing suit should NEVER be touched by anyone regardless of the situation. If someone touches them in said area, tell your child that you should be informed immediately.

• Contact numbers
  • If you think that your child or someone you know is being molested, immediately call the Department of Social Welfare and Development at 931-81-01 to 07.
  • The Crisis Line offers FREE and confidential telephone counseling at 893-76-03.
  • To immediately report a case of child abuse, call Bantay Bata at 415- 6307.

If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them in our Comment box below.
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