HUNDREDS of thousands of children are raped and/or sexually abused every day around the world. In the Philippines and in countries like Spain, Portugal, the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and Australia, child sexual abuse has been widespread in the Church and in society. In 2015, the United Nations Children's Fund conducted a major study involving 4,000 Filipino children to determine the extent of sexual violence against children in the country and discovered that in every five of them, three reported having been sexually abused. It occurs in every conceivable place: at home by parents and relatives; in school by teachers and older students; in church by priests and laymen; in orphanages and shelters by staff; on the streets; and above all, in sex bars, brothels and hotels. In fact, it can be committed in any secluded place by anyone.
There are stronger laws and greater awareness to punish abusers. In the Philippines, the age of consent has been raised to 16. Sex with anyone younger than 16 is now considered statutory rape, punishable with a life sentence and a massive fine to be paid to the victim. There is growing anger and intolerance of sexual violence against children in society. A child is any person younger than 18. Biological fathers, live-in partners, grandfathers and relatives are the most frequent abusers and rapists of children. How many children are abused by Philippine clergy, we don't know yet.
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