EASTERN Visayas recorded a “significant decrease” of 19.76 percent in rape cases in the year 2022 as compared to the year 2021, the Police Regional Office (PRO) 8 said.

Citing a report from the Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD), the police regional command said that 341 rape cases were logged in 2022, which is lower than in 2021, with 425 incidents reported.

“The decrease of 84 incidents was made possible through the combined efforts of PRO 8 and other counterparts advocating for women’s protection against various forms of violence,” said Brigadier General Rommel Francisco Marbil, police regional director.

Despite the decline in rape incidents, the region’s WCPD, headed by Major Analiza Armeza, continuously provides “constant information drive through conferences, lectures, seminars, and training on special laws that protect women and children, including the conduct of house-to-house visits.”

“We cannot do this alone. We need the support and full cooperation of the public, especially in reporting such violence. I encourage women and children to be well informed and to assert their rights, as we are one with them in our fight for a VAWC-free community," Marbil said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the police regional director ordered all the line units to “double their efforts” in preventing all types of abuses and cases of violence against women and their children (VAWC) in their areas. (SunStar Philippines)