The Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday, Nov. 28, revealed the top three incidents of abuse faced by students in schools with verbal abuse having the highest number of complaints. 

Based on the complaints received by the DepEd Learners TeleSafe Contact Center Helpline (LTCCH), the Helpline received a total number of 1,709 reports as of Nov. 27

DepEd recorded a total of 213 incidents of abuse among students. Out of the said number, DepEd data revealed that verbal abuse is the highest with 77 reports followed by sexual abuse (70) and physical bullying (66).

Meanwhile, DepEd noted that the remaining reports gathered were operational concerns such as issues on enrollment and violation of DepEd’s no-collection policy, among others.

Understatement

In a separate statement also issued on Tuesday, youth advocates dedicated to students’ safety against sexual predators questioned figures released by the DepEd regarding the abuse reports they received through their Telesafe Contact Center Helpline.

Enough Is Enough (EIE), a group of victim-survivors of sexual abuse and advocates for gender equality, questioned if the number of reports the LRPO received was an accurate reflection of the situation within schools.

“There is no way that there were only 70 cases of sexual abuse of students in the past year,” EIE Lead Convenor Sophia Reyes said.

Reyes also noted that DepEd “has not been making the necessary efforts to foster an environment where victim-survivors in schools are encouraged and empowered enough to report incidents, so 70 is definitely an understatement.”

EIE also demanded that DepEd release the outcome of all 70 reports they received --- including whether administrative or criminal charges were filed against the perpetrators.

“How can students feel safe in their own schools if they have no idea what happens to predators once their behavior is exposed?” Reyes asked.

Reyes added that the figures released by DepEd are more “alarming than reassuring, since we don’t know how many of the perpetrators from these 70 cases of sexual abuse still walk free inside campuses.”

DepEd, she said, will need to “step up much further if it seeks to allay the fears and apprehension of both students and their parents.”

Next steps

EIE further cited its efforts to track cases of sexual abuse in schools, stating that multiple cases remain "unresolved" and multiple predators have not "faced any repercussions.”

“We know for certain, for example, that at least one sexual predator still walks freely within Flora Ylagan High School in Quezon City, where they still serve as an adviser,” Reyes said.

“We could also cite the case of the Bacoor National High School, which remains unresolved after over a year, the Philippine High School for the Arts, or Samuel Christian Colleges, where perpetrators have victimized over 100 students, to name just three others,” she added.

Given this, Reyes stressed that a “mere helpline” would never be enough to improve students’ safety from sexual predators within their campuses.

“We laud the bravery of the 70 who did report cases of sexual abuse in schools and hope that they receive the support that they need,” Reyes said.

“But until DepEd takes the next steps, students will continue to come to school not knowing if they are safe from sexual abuse,” she added.