De Lima files bill strengthening anti-rape law
MANILA, Philippines — House of Representatives Senior Deputy Minority Leader Leila De Lima has filed a measure seeking to strengthen protections for women and children against rape and sexual violence.
House Bill No. 8716, filed on March 23, proposes expanding the definition of rape to emphasize the absence of consent, recognizing grooming as a form of predatory conduct, and imposing harsher penalties when the crime is committed by persons in positions of authority or trust.
Under the proposed measure, violators may face up to 40 years of imprisonment without parole.
De Lima, a Mamamayang Liberal Party-list representative, said the bill aims to reinforce the State’s commitment to protect individuals from sexual violence and exploitation and to uphold their rights to dignity, safety, and justice.
In a news release on Saturday, De Lima noted that incidents of violence and abuse across genders and sexual orientations remain significantly underreported due to fear, stigma, and barriers to accessing justice.
She cited data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showing 11,479 rape cases involving girls below 16 years old in 2023, yet no case was filed under Republic Act No. 11648 during the same period.
The lawmaker also pointed to data from the United Nations Children’s Fund indicating that two million children in the Philippines were subjected to online sexual abuse and exploitation in 2021.
“With these alarming figures, we aim to implement stronger procedural safeguards against sexual exploitation, including mandatory reporting obligations, the prohibition of amicable settlements and affidavits of desistance in rape cases, and better protections for the privacy and identity of victims,” De Lima, a former chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights, said.
“At a time when cases of rape and sexual abuse on digital platforms remain rampant, and when some government officials and persons in positions of authority or trust tolerate vulgarity and harassment, we urgently need a stronger law to ensure greater accountability,” she added. /dm
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