Increasing the Age of Statutory Rape to Provide Stronger Protection for Children: A policy brief on statutory rape in the Philippines

This policy brief explains the proposed changes on laws and policies concerning the age of statutory rape in the Philippines to provide better protection for children. According to the National Baseline Study on Violence Against Children, one in every five children in the Philippines (19.1%) aged 13-17 years old reported experiencing sexual violence, while one in 25 (4.8%) of all respondents experienced forced consummated sex during childhood. The study also revealed that the perpetrators are often family members and that more boys (22.1%) than girls (15.9%) reported experiencing sexual violence.