MANILA, Philippines?Over 200,000 Filipino children have experienced abuse and `a great majority of them are incest victims, an advocacy group revealed on Thursday.

But only a few them have the courage to report incidents of abuse?sexual, verbal, or physical?to authorities, a study by the Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Sexual Abuse (CPTCSA) showed.

The study covered public schools where Personal Safety Lessons (PSL), which educates schoolchildren on various forms of abuse, has been included in the curriculum, CPTCSA official Hope Abella told a weekly media forum at Camp Crame Thursday.

Of the 200,000 cases, 90 percent were sexually abused by their own kin, she said.

In 44,000 public schools nationwide where PSL is being taught, Abella said that an average of six children?mostly girls?report of being victims of abuse.

The PSL is a violence prevention program that ?empowers children to take part in their own protection by giving information and skills within their own culture and religion.?

Abella said children are taught of three important things to protect them from abuses: learning to say no, run, and tell.

?Children are taught that when they are touched on sensitive areas of the body, they should learn to say no and assert themselves,? Abella said.

Various groups are stepping up campaigns against child abuse ahead of the 14th National Awareness Week for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on February 8 to 14.

In 2009, a total of 9,787 cases of child abuse were reported, data from the Philippine National Police Women?s and Children?s Protection Desk showed. This was higher than the 8588 reported cases in 2008.

Of these, 60 percent are incidents of sexual exploitation, mostly involving incestuous rape.

But some of these cases when brought to court would end up being dismissed as the victims are frightened to face their abusers in court, said Chief Superintendent Yolando Tanigue, chief of the PNP-WCPC.

?The willingness of the complainant is very important,? Tanigue said.

?There is fear among victims, especially victims of incest. Their self-esteem is affected and they think lowly of themselves,? Abella added.

But she said the PNP has devised ways to allow victims to testify without being physically present in court.

Some victims are instead asked to be interviewed in front of a video camera, Tanigue said. This is then presented in court as part of the evidence against the accused.