Understanding Incest in the Philippines* - Philippine Children

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were “incest” cases. The DSWD statistical data also fails to clarify its definition of incest.However, a DSWD social worker from the Bureau of Child and Youth Welfare (BCYW)clarified that until 1995, they defined incest as sexual abuse committed against children andadults by persons related to the victims by blood. According to her, the BCYW expanded itsdefinition in 1996 by including sexual abuse committed against a person by any member of thehousehold. This may also include househelpers. This expanded definition, however, is notreflected in any DSWD document.There is also no legal definition of incest in the Philippines. The 1998 Family Code is so far theonly existing legislation that has no reference to incest. But its pertinent provision (Article 37)pertains to incestuous marriages, not to incest itself:“Marriages between the following are incestuous and void from the beginning, whether the relationship betweenthe parties be legitimate or illegitimate: (1) Between ascendants and descendants of any degree; and (2)Between brothers and sisters, whether of full or half blood.”The only official document in the Philippines that defines incest is the Philippine Plan forGender Development (PPGD). The PPGD defines incest as: “the commission of sexuallyinappropriate acts or acts with sexual overtones, with a child or adolescent, by an older personor adult who wields authority through emotional bonding with that child or younger person.”But, the term “sexually inappropriate acts” adds confusion to the understanding of incest. Arethere “sexually appropriate acts” that an adult can do to a child which may not be characterizedas incest? There appears to be done. Despite this apparent flaw, the PPGD definition is a far cryfrom its predecessor document, the Philippine Development Plan for Women (1989-1992) whichdid not define incest but “incest rape” as: “carnal relations between siblings, between parentsand children and/or between blood relatives to the 4 th consanguinity.”One of the most valuable studies on incest that offers a definition is Prescilla Dela Pena-Tulipat’smasteral thesis (1995), “ An Exploratory Study on Incest Using Feminist ParticipatoryApproach: A Contribution to the Study of Violence Against Women.” She states that incest hasnever been a public issue in the Philippines. The absence of a specific Filipino term for incest isan indication of this. For her thesis, Tulipat used the definitions of incest formulated by theIncest Survivors Campaign defining it as: “the sexual molestation of a child by an older personperceived as a figure of trust or authority-parents, relatives (whether natural or adoptive),family friends, youth leaders and teachers etc.The definitions in the PPGD and in the Tulipat’s study have common elements. Both citechildren as victims and persons of trust or authority as perpetrators.There are, however, other perspectives. Based on available literature on incest, reports inPhilippine national; dailies and interviews with Filipino professionals, direct service providersand activists involved in addressing the issue, there are three elements that recur in the existingunderstanding of incest. These are:[1] Age. Incest is usually defined and understood as sexual abuse against children. Others,particularly some activists and direct service providers, admit that an abuse perpetrated against ahttp: www.childprotection.org.phFeatured Paper for August 2002
person of legal age may also be considered incestuous, depending on the relationships betweenthe victim/survivor and the perpetrator. There are also incestuous abuses that start duringchildhood and continue through the adult years of the victim-survivor.[2] Relationship. The common understanding of incest is limited to abuses committed by bloodrelatives. Still, there are those who consider abuses committed by persons related by affinity (i.eby marriage) and by household members (e.g. househelp) as incest. Very few, though hold theview that incest is not so much about blood or affinity ties but the emotional bond between thevictim-survivor and the abuser. This emotional bond is characterized by the trust and confidenceof the victim-survivor towards the abuser who usually exercises moral ascendancy, influence orcontrol over the victim-survivor. According to Suzanne M. Sgroi, author of ClinicalInterventions in Child Abuse, “the crucial psychosocial dynamic is the familial relationshipbetween the incest participants. The presence or absence of a blood relationship… is far lesssignificant than the kinship roles they occupy.”[3] Sexual Abuse. There seems to be an evident agreement that incest covers a broad range ofsexually abusive acts and may not necessarily involve physical contact. Examples of thesesexually abusive acts are display of pornographic pictures, voyeurism, fondling, kissing, andpenile penetration of the female genitalia.Despite the varying perspectives on the abuser-victim/survivor relationship that qualifies anabuse as incest, there is a common recognition that an essential element of incest is betrayal oftrust. Compared with stranger abuse, incest has a different psychological and emotional impacton the victim because of the relationship of trust between the victim-survivor and the abuser. AsHeidi Vanderbilt described in Incest: A Chilling Report, “a child molested by a stranger can runhome for help and comfort. A victim of incest cannot.”To better understand incest and come up with an appropriate definition as well asrecommendations for this paper, the WLB conducted a research covering the following: [1]review of 63 cases involving persons known to the victims as reported in January top July 1997issues of four national dailies (Today, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Manila Times and Abante);[2] review of incest cases handled by the WLB itself from 1991-1997;[3] review of data in Tulipat’s study;[4] review of data in the WLB study, Making Sense of Rape; and[5] interviews with selected professionals (e.g. lawyers, psychiatrists and psychologists), NGOcounselors, and activists from women’s groups who deal with incest.The following discussion is based on data gathered from the foregoing sources.http: www.childprotection.org.phFeatured Paper for August 2002
Page 1: Incest: A Growing RealityUnderstand
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Understanding Incest in the Philippines* - Philippine Children

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