Dad is identified as CHRISTOPHER EBAHAN.
http://www.mindanaoexaminer.com/news.php?news_id=20140424121310
Filipino man arrested for child abuse
Posted By Mindanao Examiner | Friday, April 25, 2014 01:13:10 AM
DIPOLOG CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 24, 2014) – Police arrested a man who slammed his one year old baby on the ground following a quarrel with his partner in the town of Polanco in Zamboanga del Norte province in southern Philippines.
Police said the baby was brought to hospital for medical examination while his 27-year old father Christopher Ebahan has been charged with child abuse.
The baby’s mother, Gleza Jarapan, 34, told police that she went to their farm after quarreling with Ebahan and was unaware of what had happened to the boy.
Police said a neighbor, Luzvilla Gamale, 58, saw Ebahan threw the baby before fleeing their house and she told village officials about what happened and they contacted authorities to report the abuse.
Ebahan was arrested by pursuing policemen in his mother’s house in the neighboring town of Roxas. The condition of the baby is still unknown. (Mindanao Examiner)
Showing posts with label Phillipines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phillipines. Show all posts
Friday, April 25, 2014
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Dad arrested for raping 17-year-old daughter (Mandaue City, Phillipines)
UNNAMED DAD.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/88573/father-faces-rape-charges
Father faces rape charges
Cebu Daily News 7:04 am | Saturday, November 5th, 2011
A FATHER in Mandaue City is facing arrest after he was accused of raping his 17-year-old daughter.
Police said they are waiting for the release of a warrant before the father could be arrested. Rape charges in relation to child abuse have been filed against the father, said police.
Police said the father allegedly started molesting the girl in 2007.
The daughter is the eldest among four siblings.
Police said the abuse was stopped when the victim’s brother saw his father touching the girl’s private parts.
The sibling reported the abuse to their aunt.
The victim is now under the care of her aunt, said police.
The brother did not inform his mother of what he saw because she has been suffering from a nervous breakdown./REPORTER JUCELL MARIE P. CUYOS
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/88573/father-faces-rape-charges
Father faces rape charges
Cebu Daily News 7:04 am | Saturday, November 5th, 2011
A FATHER in Mandaue City is facing arrest after he was accused of raping his 17-year-old daughter.
Police said they are waiting for the release of a warrant before the father could be arrested. Rape charges in relation to child abuse have been filed against the father, said police.
Police said the father allegedly started molesting the girl in 2007.
The daughter is the eldest among four siblings.
Police said the abuse was stopped when the victim’s brother saw his father touching the girl’s private parts.
The sibling reported the abuse to their aunt.
The victim is now under the care of her aunt, said police.
The brother did not inform his mother of what he saw because she has been suffering from a nervous breakdown./REPORTER JUCELL MARIE P. CUYOS
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Unemployed drunken dad takes five kids hostage at gunpoint (Cebu City, Phillipines)
Classic abuser daddy drama--this time starring daddy RAUL LONGGAKIT.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2011/11/03/father-took-5-children-hostage-cebu-188513
Father took 5 children hostage in Cebu Thursday, November 3, 2011
CEBU CITY (Updated) -- Police said a drunken father in northern Cebu took his five children hostage and locked themselves in their home following a disagreement with his wife.
The standoff began around 3 p.m. Wednesday when Raul Longgakit, 39, locked his five children in their home in Borbon town, Cebu, prompting authorities to step in.
The suspect, who was allegedly armed with a gun, freed four children early Thursday, leaving a 15-year-old girl behind.
Longgakit released the girl after his wife agreed to make peace with him. The child wasn't hurt.
The suspect and his wife had been constantly quarrelling due to Longgakit's alcoholism. He allegedly lost his job as a security guard after he has gone on absent without official leave.
Authorities said family problems prompted Longgakit to take his own children hostage.
Borbon police chief Emiliano Ygot said Mayor Bernard Sepulvida and the suspect's wife helped in the negotiations.
Longgakit said he is willing to face charges for the hostage-taking. (Sunnex)
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2011/11/03/father-took-5-children-hostage-cebu-188513
Father took 5 children hostage in Cebu Thursday, November 3, 2011
CEBU CITY (Updated) -- Police said a drunken father in northern Cebu took his five children hostage and locked themselves in their home following a disagreement with his wife.
The standoff began around 3 p.m. Wednesday when Raul Longgakit, 39, locked his five children in their home in Borbon town, Cebu, prompting authorities to step in.
The suspect, who was allegedly armed with a gun, freed four children early Thursday, leaving a 15-year-old girl behind.
Longgakit released the girl after his wife agreed to make peace with him. The child wasn't hurt.
The suspect and his wife had been constantly quarrelling due to Longgakit's alcoholism. He allegedly lost his job as a security guard after he has gone on absent without official leave.
Authorities said family problems prompted Longgakit to take his own children hostage.
Borbon police chief Emiliano Ygot said Mayor Bernard Sepulvida and the suspect's wife helped in the negotiations.
Longgakit said he is willing to face charges for the hostage-taking. (Sunnex)
Monday, November 8, 2010
As Filipina mothers are forced out of the country for work, the children left behind are increasingly being sexually abused (Manila, Phillipines)
For the most part, people resist naming fathers or other male family members as sexual predators of children. And it's even more taboo to identify families where a mother is absent as especially vulnerable. Over the past two decades, the Phillipines has seen a huge rise in the reported number of "incest" cases (in reality, cases where children are raped and/or sexually abused by male family members). And this has occurred as more Filipina moms are forced out of the country to find work and support their children, who must be left at home in the care of fathers or other family members.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/-depth/11/07/10/incest-cases-rising
Incest cases rising
By Chiara Zambrano, ABS-CBN News
Posted at 11/07/2010 10:18 PM Updated as of 11/07/2010 10:24 PM
MANILA, Philippines - Seventeen-year-old "Jennylyn" never even had the chance to mourn the death of her mother because on the very night of the funeral, she was taken by her uncle and was raped repeatedly, in different places, for hours.
"When he asked me to take a ride with him, I didn't hesitate. He was a great guy. Even when I was young, he would give me money to buy food at school. He suddenly drove me to a dark seminary, and ordered me to take off my shorts."
This, Jennylin says, would start a wave of sexual abuse that she had to endure for the next four years.
"I never thought this would happen to me. I'm her niece. My siblings and I grew up with him."
Now 23 years old and living under the protection of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Jennylin says she endured the years of repeated abuse because her uncle threatened the lives of her siblings.
Now she regrets having waited this long, after learning that her other sisters and cousins were abused in the same way... and that one of her sisters now has a child by her uncle.
Lydia Rubio, officer-in-charge of the DSWD Haven for Women where Jennylin is staying, recounts the level of trauma Jennylin was in when she first came under their wing. "She would have this blank stare, and then cry endlessly. Then one time, she shattered a mirror and slashed her wrists with a glass shard. We had to call in specialists to help us deal with her."
Such is the gruesome story of incest, or sexual abuse suffered in the hands of a parent, blood relative or parent figures such as stepmothers and stepfathers. As unthinkable as it may sound, studies are showing that there has been a rise in incest cases in the Philippines for the last 2 decades.
In a study by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, conducted jointly with the DSWD and the government of Japan, the DSWD published incidents of incest in the country from 1991 to 1997.
It shows a significant rise in the number of reported cases in just a matter of 6 years:
Incest cases in the Philippines
1991 - 45
1992 - 47
1993 - 151
1994 - 771
1995 - 617
1996 - 514
1997 - 967
SOURCE: Table 4.3 Reported number of child abuse cases in Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippines (1991-1997)
"SEXUALLY ABUSED AND SEXUALLY EXPLOITED CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN THE PHILIPPINES: An assessment of their health needs and available services; United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Government of Japan, Department of Social Welfare and Development The Philippines"
The trend is cemented further by data from the Child Protection Network, which shows that in the year 2009 alone, more than 1,500 incest cases have reached their knowledge.
OFW families
Dr. Bernadette Madrid, executive director of the Child Protection Network, attributes this rise to the growing number of families forced to live with the mothers away from home, such as the millions of overseas Filipino workers' (OFW) families around the country.
"Once the mother is away, the situation becomes high risk," says Madrid. To date, there is no study that directly relates the upsurge of incest to the OFW phenomenon.
Madrid however, says that the connection is very likely.
Available data could very well be just the tip if the iceberg, says Madrid, because incest is a highly shameful occurence for any family, and not everyone is willing to admit that such a thing would be possible in their own home.
"But this is a reality," she says. "We all would want to think this could only be possible with other families, not ours. But incest is one thing that transcends all socioeconomic boundaries."
Sleeping in same room
Rubio of the Haven for Women however recalls a common factor with incest victims that come under their care. "It's a consideration sometimes, when families sleep in just one room, the parents and the children together. When a child's body begins to develop, he or she becomes vulnerable."
Jennylin has been with the Haven for Women for nearly five years, and has expressed her desire to move on and get a job outside of the shelter. But the desire comes with one condition.
"I'm not going back to my family. I'm gonna get a job elsewhere, gather my siblings, and finally take care of them like I promised my mother."
Jennylin also expressed no desire to reunite with her father, whom she and her siblings now accuse of having received money from their uncle, in exchange for the right to sexually abuse them. True or not, the father and daughter's bond has been severed for the rest of "Jennylin's" life.
Dr. Madrid explains this as a natural reaction to incest. "The impact on a victim is much, much greater for incest than with stranger rape. The betrayal of trust is immense. No one is supposed to love me better than my family... and yet they are the ones who did this? The child will never trust again."
To battle incest, child welfare advocates see the solution in two things: One, is to try and keep the family together; and two, is for people to remember the roles and responsibilites of each member of the family.
"Just because you feed them, just because they are your offspring or your grandchildren or nephews and nieces, doesn't mean they are your property," Rubio reiterates to those who may forget. "Nothing you provide them will ever give you the right to do with them as you please, and abuse them in any way."
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/-depth/11/07/10/incest-cases-rising
Incest cases rising
By Chiara Zambrano, ABS-CBN News
Posted at 11/07/2010 10:18 PM Updated as of 11/07/2010 10:24 PM
MANILA, Philippines - Seventeen-year-old "Jennylyn" never even had the chance to mourn the death of her mother because on the very night of the funeral, she was taken by her uncle and was raped repeatedly, in different places, for hours.
"When he asked me to take a ride with him, I didn't hesitate. He was a great guy. Even when I was young, he would give me money to buy food at school. He suddenly drove me to a dark seminary, and ordered me to take off my shorts."
This, Jennylin says, would start a wave of sexual abuse that she had to endure for the next four years.
"I never thought this would happen to me. I'm her niece. My siblings and I grew up with him."
Now 23 years old and living under the protection of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Jennylin says she endured the years of repeated abuse because her uncle threatened the lives of her siblings.
Now she regrets having waited this long, after learning that her other sisters and cousins were abused in the same way... and that one of her sisters now has a child by her uncle.
Lydia Rubio, officer-in-charge of the DSWD Haven for Women where Jennylin is staying, recounts the level of trauma Jennylin was in when she first came under their wing. "She would have this blank stare, and then cry endlessly. Then one time, she shattered a mirror and slashed her wrists with a glass shard. We had to call in specialists to help us deal with her."
Such is the gruesome story of incest, or sexual abuse suffered in the hands of a parent, blood relative or parent figures such as stepmothers and stepfathers. As unthinkable as it may sound, studies are showing that there has been a rise in incest cases in the Philippines for the last 2 decades.
In a study by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, conducted jointly with the DSWD and the government of Japan, the DSWD published incidents of incest in the country from 1991 to 1997.
It shows a significant rise in the number of reported cases in just a matter of 6 years:
Incest cases in the Philippines
1991 - 45
1992 - 47
1993 - 151
1994 - 771
1995 - 617
1996 - 514
1997 - 967
SOURCE: Table 4.3 Reported number of child abuse cases in Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippines (1991-1997)
"SEXUALLY ABUSED AND SEXUALLY EXPLOITED CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN THE PHILIPPINES: An assessment of their health needs and available services; United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Government of Japan, Department of Social Welfare and Development The Philippines"
The trend is cemented further by data from the Child Protection Network, which shows that in the year 2009 alone, more than 1,500 incest cases have reached their knowledge.
OFW families
Dr. Bernadette Madrid, executive director of the Child Protection Network, attributes this rise to the growing number of families forced to live with the mothers away from home, such as the millions of overseas Filipino workers' (OFW) families around the country.
"Once the mother is away, the situation becomes high risk," says Madrid. To date, there is no study that directly relates the upsurge of incest to the OFW phenomenon.
Madrid however, says that the connection is very likely.
Available data could very well be just the tip if the iceberg, says Madrid, because incest is a highly shameful occurence for any family, and not everyone is willing to admit that such a thing would be possible in their own home.
"But this is a reality," she says. "We all would want to think this could only be possible with other families, not ours. But incest is one thing that transcends all socioeconomic boundaries."
Sleeping in same room
Rubio of the Haven for Women however recalls a common factor with incest victims that come under their care. "It's a consideration sometimes, when families sleep in just one room, the parents and the children together. When a child's body begins to develop, he or she becomes vulnerable."
Jennylin has been with the Haven for Women for nearly five years, and has expressed her desire to move on and get a job outside of the shelter. But the desire comes with one condition.
"I'm not going back to my family. I'm gonna get a job elsewhere, gather my siblings, and finally take care of them like I promised my mother."
Jennylin also expressed no desire to reunite with her father, whom she and her siblings now accuse of having received money from their uncle, in exchange for the right to sexually abuse them. True or not, the father and daughter's bond has been severed for the rest of "Jennylin's" life.
Dr. Madrid explains this as a natural reaction to incest. "The impact on a victim is much, much greater for incest than with stranger rape. The betrayal of trust is immense. No one is supposed to love me better than my family... and yet they are the ones who did this? The child will never trust again."
To battle incest, child welfare advocates see the solution in two things: One, is to try and keep the family together; and two, is for people to remember the roles and responsibilites of each member of the family.
"Just because you feed them, just because they are your offspring or your grandchildren or nephews and nieces, doesn't mean they are your property," Rubio reiterates to those who may forget. "Nothing you provide them will ever give you the right to do with them as you please, and abuse them in any way."
Monday, September 27, 2010
Dad jailed for "daily rape" of teenage daughter (Manila, Phillipines)
Note that the mother was forced to leave the children with UNNAMED DAD so she could earn an income outside the country. Internationally, many mothers are separated from their children because of what charitably might be called "uneven" economic development (rich people in rich countries exploiting poor people in poor countries). Once children are separated from their moms by international labor migration, they are much more vulnerable to abuse and neglect of all types. Though this particular daddy is just beyond the pale....
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314806/Father-jailed-14-400-years-daily-rape-teenage-daughter.html
Rickshaw driver jailed for 14,400 years for 'daily rape' of teenage daughter
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:37 AM on 24th September 2010
A Philippine court today sentenced a father to 14,400 years in prison after he was convicted of the near daily rape of his teenage daughter over the course of a year.
A trial court originally condemned the man, a rickshaw driver, to die in March 2006, four years after he was formally charged with 360 counts of rape - allegedly carried out during the year his wife worked in Hong Kong.
But the Court of Appeals in Manila commuted the sentence to 40 years for each count, according to a court decision seen today.
The defendant can still appeal to the Supreme Court, although it was not clear if he would.
The then-13-year-old victim, now 22, said her ordeal began in January 2001, when her mother left for work in Hong Kong as a domestic helper and left her three children with their father in Los Banos, a township just south of Manila.
The ordeal only ended after she and her siblings spent a holiday with their mother's relatives.
Reluctant to return to her father at the end of the holiday, she broke down and told her family about the abuse. Her mother returned home from Hong Kong and helped her file the case.
The appeals court affirmed the lower court's dismissal of the defence's contention that the man's wife made up the allegations to get custody of the children and marry a foreigner.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314806/Father-jailed-14-400-years-daily-rape-teenage-daughter.html
Rickshaw driver jailed for 14,400 years for 'daily rape' of teenage daughter
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:37 AM on 24th September 2010
A Philippine court today sentenced a father to 14,400 years in prison after he was convicted of the near daily rape of his teenage daughter over the course of a year.
A trial court originally condemned the man, a rickshaw driver, to die in March 2006, four years after he was formally charged with 360 counts of rape - allegedly carried out during the year his wife worked in Hong Kong.
But the Court of Appeals in Manila commuted the sentence to 40 years for each count, according to a court decision seen today.
The defendant can still appeal to the Supreme Court, although it was not clear if he would.
The then-13-year-old victim, now 22, said her ordeal began in January 2001, when her mother left for work in Hong Kong as a domestic helper and left her three children with their father in Los Banos, a township just south of Manila.
The ordeal only ended after she and her siblings spent a holiday with their mother's relatives.
Reluctant to return to her father at the end of the holiday, she broke down and told her family about the abuse. Her mother returned home from Hong Kong and helped her file the case.
The appeals court affirmed the lower court's dismissal of the defence's contention that the man's wife made up the allegations to get custody of the children and marry a foreigner.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
"Broken-hearted" dad poisons self, 2 kids; children now dead (Iloilo City, Phillipines)
Broken-hearted? Not by a mile.
What kind of sicko control freak @$$hole dad forces a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old to drink pesticide? What a horrible way to murder somebody. And to do this to two tiny children, who were hardly more than babies. So why did Dad BOBBY DURAN do such a thing? We're told it's because his wife wanted to end their marriage. Really! Now why would she want to end her marriage with such a kind and wonderful guy? Probably because this wasn't the first time dad had got all freaky with the control and abuse stuff.
The press needs to get a clue. Dad's actions had nothing to do with "grief" or being "broken-hearted." It has everything to do with the usual pattern seen with these guys. It's all coercive control and using violence to inflict your will on everybody else in your own personal Daddy Drama.
And what's this about Mom promising to support the children after the divorce? Maybe that was her way to try and placate this jerk. Too bad it didn't work.
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/191727/broken-hearted-father-poisons-self-2-kids
Broken-hearted father poisons self, 2 kids
05/24/2010 02:53 PM
With barely a month to go before Father's Day, a broken-hearted father fatally poisoned his two young children in Iloilo province last week.
The incident occurred in Estancia town on Wednesday, a Monday report on Negros news site Visayan Daily Star (www.visayandailystar.com) said, citing belated reports.
Investigator-on-case PO1 Mario Aquinia said suspect Bobby Duran, 32, allegedly made his son Christian, 1, and daughter Christine, 3, drink pesticide.
“He did not tell the doctors and nurses at the hospital what really happened and we only confirmed that he poisoned them when we went to their village," Aquinia said.
Christian died Wednesday evening at the Jesus Colmenares District Hospital in the neighboring town of Balasan where the three were brought for treatment.
Christine died the next day at the Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City.
Aquinia said the elder Duran is now under observation at the WVMC and closely guarded by police.
He said police also found a suicide note indicating Duran wanted to end it all after learning his wife wanted to end their marriage, though she promised to support their children.
Last Wednesday, Duran took their two children to their farm in Sitio Pinaypayan in Barangay Lumbia, some kilometers from the town proper.
He made his children drink the pesticide before drinking the substance himself, and later brought the children home.
The children were taken to the hospital still conscious but already feeling ill. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV
What kind of sicko control freak @$$hole dad forces a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old to drink pesticide? What a horrible way to murder somebody. And to do this to two tiny children, who were hardly more than babies. So why did Dad BOBBY DURAN do such a thing? We're told it's because his wife wanted to end their marriage. Really! Now why would she want to end her marriage with such a kind and wonderful guy? Probably because this wasn't the first time dad had got all freaky with the control and abuse stuff.
The press needs to get a clue. Dad's actions had nothing to do with "grief" or being "broken-hearted." It has everything to do with the usual pattern seen with these guys. It's all coercive control and using violence to inflict your will on everybody else in your own personal Daddy Drama.
And what's this about Mom promising to support the children after the divorce? Maybe that was her way to try and placate this jerk. Too bad it didn't work.
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/191727/broken-hearted-father-poisons-self-2-kids
Broken-hearted father poisons self, 2 kids
05/24/2010 02:53 PM
With barely a month to go before Father's Day, a broken-hearted father fatally poisoned his two young children in Iloilo province last week.
The incident occurred in Estancia town on Wednesday, a Monday report on Negros news site Visayan Daily Star (www.visayandailystar.com) said, citing belated reports.
Investigator-on-case PO1 Mario Aquinia said suspect Bobby Duran, 32, allegedly made his son Christian, 1, and daughter Christine, 3, drink pesticide.
“He did not tell the doctors and nurses at the hospital what really happened and we only confirmed that he poisoned them when we went to their village," Aquinia said.
Christian died Wednesday evening at the Jesus Colmenares District Hospital in the neighboring town of Balasan where the three were brought for treatment.
Christine died the next day at the Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City.
Aquinia said the elder Duran is now under observation at the WVMC and closely guarded by police.
He said police also found a suicide note indicating Duran wanted to end it all after learning his wife wanted to end their marriage, though she promised to support their children.
Last Wednesday, Duran took their two children to their farm in Sitio Pinaypayan in Barangay Lumbia, some kilometers from the town proper.
He made his children drink the pesticide before drinking the substance himself, and later brought the children home.
The children were taken to the hospital still conscious but already feeling ill. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Despite court order, mother still unable to reunite with daughter (Bahrain)
Initially, UNNAMED DAD fled with the child to Bahrain, and then divorced the mother by text message. Now Dad is in jail on drug dealing charges, and Mom still can't get Dad's family to return the child to her despite being granted custody two years ago. It appears that the police--and the Bahrain government in general--are doing nothing to help this mother. We've posted on this case before. Go to the Bahrain tab for additional information.
By the way, the dad has been identified elsewhere as MOHAMMED AL MUTAWA.
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=274078
Mum is left heartbroken
By Begena p Pradeep, Posted on » Thursday, March 25, 2010
A BAHRAINI family again ignored a court order instructing it to hand a seven-year-old girl over to her mother yesterday - two years after it ignored the first order.
Lecita Flores waited six hours for the family of her ex-husband - a convicted drug dealer currently behind bars - to bring her daughter Sarah to a police station, but still went home alone and heartbroken.
Her lawyer Mohammed Al Mutawa accused police of not doing their job, saying he was becoming increasingly frustrated at the "absurd" lack of action from the Interior Ministry.
The GDN reported yesterday that a court had once again ruled Ms Flores should be reunited with Sarah after a draining six-year custody battle.
However, the family repeatedly delayed the handover of the child yesterday and even stopped answering phone calls from police.
Ms Flores had been accompanied to the Naim Police Station by Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society workers rights and monitoring director Ateyatala Rowhani and a Philippine Embassy official.
"I was at the station since 9am with the court order and since then the police were in contact (by phone) with Sarah's three aunts and an uncle," a devastated Ms Flores told the GDN.
"They said they were going to collect Sarah from her school and come straight to the station.
"Until Mr Rowhani and the Embassy official came at 11am, Sarah had not reached and police called again.
"They again said they were on their way with Sarah and we kept waiting. Then at 1pm all their phones were switched off. So I and Mr Rowhani went to Sarah's father's house in Mahooz followed by the police.
"We waited outside the house for the police to arrive, but we got a call from the station saying they were able to get Sarah's relatives on the phone again and that they had said they were on their way to the station.
"So we went back to the station and waited, but they never came and their phones were switched off again."
Ms Flores has been instructed to go back to the police station again today.
"The police asked us to come back and said they would try them (the relatives) again.
"I just don't know what else to do. I am trying to get my child the proper way through the judiciary and police, but it seems no-one cares.
"But I cannot give up, can I? I will try until my last to get my child back from these people, who do not even care for the law."
A frustrated Mr Al Mutawa said he could not understand why police were dragging their heels over the case, especially since the court order grants them power to take the child by force if necessary.
Action
"The court order says the police may use force if needed if the other party does not co-operate and I don't know why the police did not even try.
"All of us have waited for so long for the ex-husband's family to hand over the child, but they don't.
"That is why we got the special court order, but why are the police not honouring it? This is just not fair and very bad if you ask me.
"When the relatives, who said they were on their way, did not reach the police station after two hours and later switched off their phones, it was clear they were trying to break the law.
"But the police, who are authorised to take action, are not doing it. What should we understand from this?
"If a man kills another man would the police phone the murderer asking him to present himself at the station, but stop chasing the case if the murderer switches off his phone?
"All this is too absurd."
However, police sources confirmed last night that they would resort to using force to get Sarah for Ms Flores if the ex-husband's family refused to co-operate.
They said they chose to give the family a chance to hand over the child in an amicable way.
"Now since the police have a court order which says if the family refuses to hand over the child even after asking them to do so, we should forcefully get her," they said.
"We also have the authority to arrest anyone who tries to hinder us in performing our duty.
The latest court order also includes instructions for Sarah to undergo counselling if necessary, since she barely knows her own mother anymore.
Ms Flores met Sarah briefly in court in January for the first time in six months, when the child was asked to choose who she preferred to live with.
Sarah told the judge that she did not love her mother anymore and was afraid of her, but Ms Flores claimed she had been brainwashed by the father's family.
Ms Flores was first granted custody of Sarah by a Sharia Court in March 2008 and again by the Execution Court last July. Ms Flores, who has also been awarded custody of Sarah by a Kuwaiti court, began her custody battle in 2004 after her husband fled to Bahrain with their child and divorced her by text message.
By the way, the dad has been identified elsewhere as MOHAMMED AL MUTAWA.
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=274078
Mum is left heartbroken
By Begena p Pradeep, Posted on » Thursday, March 25, 2010
A BAHRAINI family again ignored a court order instructing it to hand a seven-year-old girl over to her mother yesterday - two years after it ignored the first order.
Lecita Flores waited six hours for the family of her ex-husband - a convicted drug dealer currently behind bars - to bring her daughter Sarah to a police station, but still went home alone and heartbroken.
Her lawyer Mohammed Al Mutawa accused police of not doing their job, saying he was becoming increasingly frustrated at the "absurd" lack of action from the Interior Ministry.
The GDN reported yesterday that a court had once again ruled Ms Flores should be reunited with Sarah after a draining six-year custody battle.
However, the family repeatedly delayed the handover of the child yesterday and even stopped answering phone calls from police.
Ms Flores had been accompanied to the Naim Police Station by Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society workers rights and monitoring director Ateyatala Rowhani and a Philippine Embassy official.
"I was at the station since 9am with the court order and since then the police were in contact (by phone) with Sarah's three aunts and an uncle," a devastated Ms Flores told the GDN.
"They said they were going to collect Sarah from her school and come straight to the station.
"Until Mr Rowhani and the Embassy official came at 11am, Sarah had not reached and police called again.
"They again said they were on their way with Sarah and we kept waiting. Then at 1pm all their phones were switched off. So I and Mr Rowhani went to Sarah's father's house in Mahooz followed by the police.
"We waited outside the house for the police to arrive, but we got a call from the station saying they were able to get Sarah's relatives on the phone again and that they had said they were on their way to the station.
"So we went back to the station and waited, but they never came and their phones were switched off again."
Ms Flores has been instructed to go back to the police station again today.
"The police asked us to come back and said they would try them (the relatives) again.
"I just don't know what else to do. I am trying to get my child the proper way through the judiciary and police, but it seems no-one cares.
"But I cannot give up, can I? I will try until my last to get my child back from these people, who do not even care for the law."
A frustrated Mr Al Mutawa said he could not understand why police were dragging their heels over the case, especially since the court order grants them power to take the child by force if necessary.
Action
"The court order says the police may use force if needed if the other party does not co-operate and I don't know why the police did not even try.
"All of us have waited for so long for the ex-husband's family to hand over the child, but they don't.
"That is why we got the special court order, but why are the police not honouring it? This is just not fair and very bad if you ask me.
"When the relatives, who said they were on their way, did not reach the police station after two hours and later switched off their phones, it was clear they were trying to break the law.
"But the police, who are authorised to take action, are not doing it. What should we understand from this?
"If a man kills another man would the police phone the murderer asking him to present himself at the station, but stop chasing the case if the murderer switches off his phone?
"All this is too absurd."
However, police sources confirmed last night that they would resort to using force to get Sarah for Ms Flores if the ex-husband's family refused to co-operate.
They said they chose to give the family a chance to hand over the child in an amicable way.
"Now since the police have a court order which says if the family refuses to hand over the child even after asking them to do so, we should forcefully get her," they said.
"We also have the authority to arrest anyone who tries to hinder us in performing our duty.
The latest court order also includes instructions for Sarah to undergo counselling if necessary, since she barely knows her own mother anymore.
Ms Flores met Sarah briefly in court in January for the first time in six months, when the child was asked to choose who she preferred to live with.
Sarah told the judge that she did not love her mother anymore and was afraid of her, but Ms Flores claimed she had been brainwashed by the father's family.
Ms Flores was first granted custody of Sarah by a Sharia Court in March 2008 and again by the Execution Court last July. Ms Flores, who has also been awarded custody of Sarah by a Kuwaiti court, began her custody battle in 2004 after her husband fled to Bahrain with their child and divorced her by text message.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Dad arrested for hanging two sons from a sack on the wall (Cebu, Phillipines)
Dad RAUL CAMILLAS VILLAGORDA is separated from his wife, the mother of his two sons, and is a prison parolee. But of course, none of this endangers your "rights" as a father or your time with your children.
It appears, at minimum, that Daddy had visitation with the two sons, ages 7 and 10, for the weekend. He instructed children this young that they were to "cut the grass." Instead the children went to a neighbor's house where they fell asleep because of "fatigue" (why they were fatigued is not explained, but I can just imagine). The boys were afraid to return home (sign of abuse number 1), but an uncle returned them to the father's home on Sunday morning. Daddy Dearest then proceeded to institute a bizarre punishment: He placed these children inside a sack which was hung on the wall for several hours. Somehow neighbors got wind of this, and reported Dad to the police. Dad is to be charged with child abuse.
For reasons I do not understand, the children have now been turned over to "social workers." How come they aren't being returned to their Mom, with Daddy's rights terminated?
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/metro/view/20100203-251051/Father-arrested-for-hanging-placing-two-sons-in-sack
Father arrested for hanging, placing two sons in sack
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 07:32:00 02/03/2010
A FATHER is facing child abuse charges after he allegedly placed his two sons inside a sack and hang them in their house in barangay Bagtik, San Remigio town, Cebu.
Raul Camillas Villagorda, 43, was arrested by police while his two sons aged seven and 10 years were rescued by barangay officials.
Police said Villagorda, who has been separated from his wife, is a parolee of the Iwahig penal colony in Puerto Princessa, Palawan.
Police said Villagorda punished his two sons for failing to return home on Saturday.
Police said that on Saturday, Villagorda told his two sons to cut grasses.
About noon, the two children stopped and went to their neighbor's house.
Fatigue may have caused the two children to fall asleep. The two boys refused to go home for fear that their father would scold them after they failed to finish what their father told them to do.
The two boys were brought home by their uncle early morning on Sunday.
The two children were given breakfast by their father before they were placed inside a sack. The two boys were hanged for several hours, said PO1 Morena Montanes of the San Remigio police.
Some neighbors reported the incident to the police that led to the arrest of the father and the rescue of the children.
Police said some neighbors described Villagorda as a quite person and was never heard of beating his sons.
The two boys will be turned over to social workers.
The father was detained at the San Remegio police station while waiting for charges to be filed against him. CORRESPONDENT JUCELL MARIE P. CUYOS
It appears, at minimum, that Daddy had visitation with the two sons, ages 7 and 10, for the weekend. He instructed children this young that they were to "cut the grass." Instead the children went to a neighbor's house where they fell asleep because of "fatigue" (why they were fatigued is not explained, but I can just imagine). The boys were afraid to return home (sign of abuse number 1), but an uncle returned them to the father's home on Sunday morning. Daddy Dearest then proceeded to institute a bizarre punishment: He placed these children inside a sack which was hung on the wall for several hours. Somehow neighbors got wind of this, and reported Dad to the police. Dad is to be charged with child abuse.
For reasons I do not understand, the children have now been turned over to "social workers." How come they aren't being returned to their Mom, with Daddy's rights terminated?
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/metro/view/20100203-251051/Father-arrested-for-hanging-placing-two-sons-in-sack
Father arrested for hanging, placing two sons in sack
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 07:32:00 02/03/2010
A FATHER is facing child abuse charges after he allegedly placed his two sons inside a sack and hang them in their house in barangay Bagtik, San Remigio town, Cebu.
Raul Camillas Villagorda, 43, was arrested by police while his two sons aged seven and 10 years were rescued by barangay officials.
Police said Villagorda, who has been separated from his wife, is a parolee of the Iwahig penal colony in Puerto Princessa, Palawan.
Police said Villagorda punished his two sons for failing to return home on Saturday.
Police said that on Saturday, Villagorda told his two sons to cut grasses.
About noon, the two children stopped and went to their neighbor's house.
Fatigue may have caused the two children to fall asleep. The two boys refused to go home for fear that their father would scold them after they failed to finish what their father told them to do.
The two boys were brought home by their uncle early morning on Sunday.
The two children were given breakfast by their father before they were placed inside a sack. The two boys were hanged for several hours, said PO1 Morena Montanes of the San Remigio police.
Some neighbors reported the incident to the police that led to the arrest of the father and the rescue of the children.
Police said some neighbors described Villagorda as a quite person and was never heard of beating his sons.
The two boys will be turned over to social workers.
The father was detained at the San Remegio police station while waiting for charges to be filed against him. CORRESPONDENT JUCELL MARIE P. CUYOS
Monday, December 21, 2009
Dad, son charged in rape of son's stepdaughter (Viga, Phillipines)
Father VINCENTE BALLARAN and son DANTE BALLARAN have both been charged with rape in a case involving the son's teenage daughter.
http://www.catanduanestribune.com/Dec-16-2009/TopStory/Detail.aspx?newsID=6289
Man, son charged for Viga girl’s rape
December 19,2009
A Viga resident and his son has been charged for two counts of rape each for the repeated sexual abuse of the latter’s teenaged stepdaughter early this year.
Now facing the charges before the Regional Trial Court are Vicente Ballaran and his son Dante, both of barangay P. Vera. The Provincial Prosecutor’s Office has recommended that they be held without bail during trial.
According to the 14-year old victim, her stepfather Dante first raped her on April 24, 2009 at 11 P.M. while she was sleeping beside her younger siblings. She said she was awakened by a hand touching her all over her body and then removing her clothes and underwear. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see her stepdad, who held both her arms and then forced himself upon her.
She said she could not do anything but cry, pitying herself and her sibling and afraid for their lives as Dante threatened to cut off their heads if she told anybody about the incident.
Since then, her stepdad would rape her almost everyday except when she was having her monthly period, with the last abuse occurring on Sept. 21, 2009.
On the other hand, she claimed that her stepgrandfather, Vicente, first raped her on June 1 when she went to their home in the barrio to sell abaca harvested from Dante’s farm. At 1 A.M., she was roused by somebody touching her private part and opener her eyes to see her stepgrandfather. She kicked him but he was stronger and was able to take off her clothes. The next rape occurred on July 21.
Her ordeal came to light when her teacher called her mother, who was working in Manila, to ask for the girl’s birth certificate. The teacher noticed that the girl cried while talking to her mother, who later asked the teacher to take the girl into custody as she had been abused. With the help of the principal, the teacher brought her to the hospital for a medico-legal examination.
In her resolution approved by Provincial Prosecutor Eugenio Abion, Prosecutor I Joan Mosatalla noted that the young victim treated Dante as her real father, her own biological father having abandoned her long ago. The girl used Ballaran’s surname in all school records but her birth was not registered, unwittingly leading to the uncovering of the sordid truth.
"Incestuous rape is one of the most repulsive and despised crimes yet the most underreported. Hence, once the child has spoken, the criminal justice system ought to listen," the prosecutor stressed. The resolution was based on the affidavits of the complainant and her witnesses as the two accused could no longer be located.
http://www.catanduanestribune.com/Dec-16-2009/TopStory/Detail.aspx?newsID=6289
Man, son charged for Viga girl’s rape
December 19,2009
A Viga resident and his son has been charged for two counts of rape each for the repeated sexual abuse of the latter’s teenaged stepdaughter early this year.
Now facing the charges before the Regional Trial Court are Vicente Ballaran and his son Dante, both of barangay P. Vera. The Provincial Prosecutor’s Office has recommended that they be held without bail during trial.
According to the 14-year old victim, her stepfather Dante first raped her on April 24, 2009 at 11 P.M. while she was sleeping beside her younger siblings. She said she was awakened by a hand touching her all over her body and then removing her clothes and underwear. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see her stepdad, who held both her arms and then forced himself upon her.
She said she could not do anything but cry, pitying herself and her sibling and afraid for their lives as Dante threatened to cut off their heads if she told anybody about the incident.
Since then, her stepdad would rape her almost everyday except when she was having her monthly period, with the last abuse occurring on Sept. 21, 2009.
On the other hand, she claimed that her stepgrandfather, Vicente, first raped her on June 1 when she went to their home in the barrio to sell abaca harvested from Dante’s farm. At 1 A.M., she was roused by somebody touching her private part and opener her eyes to see her stepgrandfather. She kicked him but he was stronger and was able to take off her clothes. The next rape occurred on July 21.
Her ordeal came to light when her teacher called her mother, who was working in Manila, to ask for the girl’s birth certificate. The teacher noticed that the girl cried while talking to her mother, who later asked the teacher to take the girl into custody as she had been abused. With the help of the principal, the teacher brought her to the hospital for a medico-legal examination.
In her resolution approved by Provincial Prosecutor Eugenio Abion, Prosecutor I Joan Mosatalla noted that the young victim treated Dante as her real father, her own biological father having abandoned her long ago. The girl used Ballaran’s surname in all school records but her birth was not registered, unwittingly leading to the uncovering of the sordid truth.
"Incestuous rape is one of the most repulsive and despised crimes yet the most underreported. Hence, once the child has spoken, the criminal justice system ought to listen," the prosecutor stressed. The resolution was based on the affidavits of the complainant and her witnesses as the two accused could no longer be located.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Dad knives mom to death in front of 12-year-old son pleading with him to stop (Cebu City, Phillipines)
The headline below is misleading. Dad ALFREDO ORTEGA, JR. didn't kill his girlfriend, the mother of their five children, out of "jealousy." He killed her out of an abuser's compulsion to control. It's a standard case where an abuser strikes out and kills when the victim tries to get out of the situation. That this woman had apparently tried to leave at least three times, only to return, is telling. No doubt she knew how dangerous a break-up with this guy would be. Plus he stabbed the mom to death in front of their 12-year-old son, even while the son was pleading with him to stop. Imagine the trauma that child will live with for the rest of his life. It should be clear now: when you abuse a mom you violate her children, too.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/metro/view/20090823-221622/Jealous-man-kills-girlfriend
Jealous man kills girlfriend
By Fe Marie D. Dumaboc
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 11:12:00 08/23/2009
Jealousy drove a 39-year-old vendor yesterday to kill his girlfriend in barangay Mambaling, Cebu City.
Raquel Abellaneda of E. Lopez, Labangon, Cebu City died after her boyfriend, Alfredo Ortega Jr. of sitio delos Reyes, barangay Mambaling, stabbed her several times in the body during a heated argument.
Police said Ortega killed Abellaneda in front of the couple's 12-year-old son. The couple had been living together and had five children.
Investigation showed that the 37-year-old Abellaneda, who worked as a maid in Manila, arrived at 11 p.m. from Manila.
Ortega fetched her at the pier and they had lunch at their home. It was then that they started arguing.
Ortega allegedly confronted Abellaneda on rumors of her alleged relationship with another man.
During the argument, Ortega got a knife and attacked Abellaneda.
The son pled with his father to stop stabbing his mother to no avail. Ortega fled after stabbing Abellaneda.
The couple's 15-year-old daughter told police that their mother had left their father at least three times only to return.
She said before her mother left for Manila last June, she found a text message from another man for her mother.
She said her mother allegedly refused to answer Ortega when asked about her relationship with another man.
Yesterday, neighbors of the couple told police that they heard voices arguing inside the couple’s house but they ignored it.
Later they saw Ortega leave their house in a hurry.
“Neighbors asked Ortega, if there was a fight near their house. Ortega answered: Yes, there's a killing there. He then fled the area” said PO3 Celso Sarona of Mambaling police precinct in Cebuano.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/metro/view/20090823-221622/Jealous-man-kills-girlfriend
Jealous man kills girlfriend
By Fe Marie D. Dumaboc
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 11:12:00 08/23/2009
Jealousy drove a 39-year-old vendor yesterday to kill his girlfriend in barangay Mambaling, Cebu City.
Raquel Abellaneda of E. Lopez, Labangon, Cebu City died after her boyfriend, Alfredo Ortega Jr. of sitio delos Reyes, barangay Mambaling, stabbed her several times in the body during a heated argument.
Police said Ortega killed Abellaneda in front of the couple's 12-year-old son. The couple had been living together and had five children.
Investigation showed that the 37-year-old Abellaneda, who worked as a maid in Manila, arrived at 11 p.m. from Manila.
Ortega fetched her at the pier and they had lunch at their home. It was then that they started arguing.
Ortega allegedly confronted Abellaneda on rumors of her alleged relationship with another man.
During the argument, Ortega got a knife and attacked Abellaneda.
The son pled with his father to stop stabbing his mother to no avail. Ortega fled after stabbing Abellaneda.
The couple's 15-year-old daughter told police that their mother had left their father at least three times only to return.
She said before her mother left for Manila last June, she found a text message from another man for her mother.
She said her mother allegedly refused to answer Ortega when asked about her relationship with another man.
Yesterday, neighbors of the couple told police that they heard voices arguing inside the couple’s house but they ignored it.
Later they saw Ortega leave their house in a hurry.
“Neighbors asked Ortega, if there was a fight near their house. Ortega answered: Yes, there's a killing there. He then fled the area” said PO3 Celso Sarona of Mambaling police precinct in Cebuano.
Dad kills 2 children, mom with shovel (Asingan, Phillipines)
Dad BENITO ACOSTA viciously beat his two children and wife to death with a shovel, then hit them with rocks. Relatives say he was mentally ill.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/09/04/09/father-kills-2-children-mother-shovel
Father kills 2 children, mother with shovel
abs-cbnNEWS.com 09/04/2009 10:06 AM
A deranged father brutally killed his two children and his mother inside their home in Asingan town, Pangasinan province on Thursday afternoon.
Police said that according to neighbors, they saw 50-year-old Benito Acosta rush into their home and attacked his 5-year-old son, Jesus and 3-year-old daughter, Anabelle with a shovel.
Police said Acosta also attacked his mother, Marcelina.
Investigators added that Acosta also hit the three victims with rocks. The victims died of severe injuries in the head and different parts of their bodies.
Acosta tried to commit suicide after killing the children and the old woman, but was prevented and arrested by responding policemen.
Asingan police chief Domingo Eden said they were informed by the suspect's relatives that he is a mentally-ill.
Eden, however, said they will still file a case of multiple parricide against the suspect.
With a report from Noriel Padiernos, ABS-CBN North Central Luzon
as of 09/04/2009 10:06 AM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/09/04/09/father-kills-2-children-mother-shovel
Father kills 2 children, mother with shovel
abs-cbnNEWS.com 09/04/2009 10:06 AM
A deranged father brutally killed his two children and his mother inside their home in Asingan town, Pangasinan province on Thursday afternoon.
Police said that according to neighbors, they saw 50-year-old Benito Acosta rush into their home and attacked his 5-year-old son, Jesus and 3-year-old daughter, Anabelle with a shovel.
Police said Acosta also attacked his mother, Marcelina.
Investigators added that Acosta also hit the three victims with rocks. The victims died of severe injuries in the head and different parts of their bodies.
Acosta tried to commit suicide after killing the children and the old woman, but was prevented and arrested by responding policemen.
Asingan police chief Domingo Eden said they were informed by the suspect's relatives that he is a mentally-ill.
Eden, however, said they will still file a case of multiple parricide against the suspect.
With a report from Noriel Padiernos, ABS-CBN North Central Luzon
as of 09/04/2009 10:06 AM
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Dad takes off with child; even though he's now in prison, mom still can't get child back from his relatives (Bahrain)
Father MOHAMMED AL MUTAWA took off to Bahrain with his six-year-old daughter last year and never returned her, although the Filipina mother had been granted custody by a Sharia Court in Kuwait. Now Dad is in prison for ten years for some other matter, and the mom still can't get the child back from his relatives. This custody case has been a disaster for this poor mother for years, and the authorities in all the various country involved in this mess have done virtually nothing to help her. The take-no-prisoners tactics of the father and his family are very typical of abusers everywhere.
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=256901
Crunch hearing for tug-of-love mum
Posted on » Tuesday, August 04, 2009
A FILIPINA mother who was granted custody of her daughter more than a year ago will plead before a court tomorrow hoping to be reunited with the six-year-old.
A Sharia Court judge granted Lecita Flores, 43, custody of Sarah in March last year, but her father allegedly failed to return her after a visit.
Since then Ms Flores has been in and out of courts in an effort to get her daughter back.
Sarah is thought to be living with her three aunts because, according to Ms Flores, her ex-
husband is now serving a 10-year jail sentence.
A lawyer acting on behalf of Ms Flores, Mohammed Al Mutawa, earlier said he had asked the Execution Court to investigate suggestions that her ex-husband was in prison, but could not confirm the claim.
Ms Flores claims the Execution Court issued an order at the beginning of last month stating that her ex-husband's family should hand Sarah over to her.
However, she alleged that an hour later the same judge issued a court order reversing the decision.
Ms Flores said the judge told her that under a new law, children could not be forced into living with a parent if they refused.
"The judge said all he could do was give a court order to the Social Development Ministry to give me visitation rights," Ms Flores told the GDN.
"They gave me two hours of visiting rights on Friday and Saturday every week.
"But when I saw my daughter, she said: 'You are not my mother'."
Ms Flores now fears that she has been apart from her daughter for so long that Sarah has turned against her.
"I last saw my daughter on July 25 for a few minutes and when we met she said: 'I don't love you'," she said.
On July 30, Ms Flores said she received a call from the Juffair Social Centre, which was overseeing visitations, and told her that she would not be able to see her daughter.
The centre reportedly told Ms Flores that her daughter refused to see her and it was not obliged to force the child.
Since then Ms Flores has been back to the Execution Court to find out how she can be reunited with her daughter.
She is now planning to return to the courts tomorrow and hopes to persuade a different judge to issue another court order demanding that Sarah's aunts return the six-year-old.
"I feel very bad, I miss my daughter," said a tearful Ms Flores yesterday.
"For a long time I didn't see my daughter. Her aunts switched her mobile off, so I can't even talk to her.
"How can the court decide on something and then reverse it an hour later?"
Ms Flores' battle to be reunited with her daughter has been in the Kuwaiti and Bahraini courts since 2004.
She first filed a case against her ex-husband in Kuwait, where the couple met and married.
The Kuwait Sharia Court granted her full custody of Sarah after her ex-husband allegedly fled to Bahrain, telling Ms Flores he had divorced her and was keeping their daughter.
When she followed him to Bahrain in November 2004, she was told she had to file a case here as the Kuwaiti ruling did not apply.
Ms Flores was first granted custody of the child during a Sharia Court hearing in March 2008, but her ex-husband refused to hand the child over - despite four court orders obliging him to do so.
He eventually did and was granted visitation rights, but allegedly failed to return Sarah after taking her out during a visit.
In July last year the Execution Court ordered Sarah be returned to Ms Flores after the girl's father was arrested for breaching his visitation rights.
However, he was freed following a Sharia Court hearing at the Justice Ministry in Manama a week later, despite refusing to reveal his daughter's whereabouts.
The judge said he was powerless to keep the girl's father locked up and told Ms Flores she would have to file another criminal case against him.
Sarah's father and his five sisters then filed a civil case against the Filipina seeking BD12,750 in damages for the emotional stress they claimed she put the family through by initiating legal action against him, but it was thrown out.
Ms Flores' ex-husband broke a court order in 2005 and fled with the child to Qatar, where he has relatives.
But he was persuaded to return several months later after being threatened with a kidnapping charge.
Juffair Social Centre officials were unavailable for comment last night.
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=256901
Crunch hearing for tug-of-love mum
Posted on » Tuesday, August 04, 2009
A FILIPINA mother who was granted custody of her daughter more than a year ago will plead before a court tomorrow hoping to be reunited with the six-year-old.
A Sharia Court judge granted Lecita Flores, 43, custody of Sarah in March last year, but her father allegedly failed to return her after a visit.
Since then Ms Flores has been in and out of courts in an effort to get her daughter back.
Sarah is thought to be living with her three aunts because, according to Ms Flores, her ex-
husband is now serving a 10-year jail sentence.
A lawyer acting on behalf of Ms Flores, Mohammed Al Mutawa, earlier said he had asked the Execution Court to investigate suggestions that her ex-husband was in prison, but could not confirm the claim.
Ms Flores claims the Execution Court issued an order at the beginning of last month stating that her ex-husband's family should hand Sarah over to her.
However, she alleged that an hour later the same judge issued a court order reversing the decision.
Ms Flores said the judge told her that under a new law, children could not be forced into living with a parent if they refused.
"The judge said all he could do was give a court order to the Social Development Ministry to give me visitation rights," Ms Flores told the GDN.
"They gave me two hours of visiting rights on Friday and Saturday every week.
"But when I saw my daughter, she said: 'You are not my mother'."
Ms Flores now fears that she has been apart from her daughter for so long that Sarah has turned against her.
"I last saw my daughter on July 25 for a few minutes and when we met she said: 'I don't love you'," she said.
On July 30, Ms Flores said she received a call from the Juffair Social Centre, which was overseeing visitations, and told her that she would not be able to see her daughter.
The centre reportedly told Ms Flores that her daughter refused to see her and it was not obliged to force the child.
Since then Ms Flores has been back to the Execution Court to find out how she can be reunited with her daughter.
She is now planning to return to the courts tomorrow and hopes to persuade a different judge to issue another court order demanding that Sarah's aunts return the six-year-old.
"I feel very bad, I miss my daughter," said a tearful Ms Flores yesterday.
"For a long time I didn't see my daughter. Her aunts switched her mobile off, so I can't even talk to her.
"How can the court decide on something and then reverse it an hour later?"
Ms Flores' battle to be reunited with her daughter has been in the Kuwaiti and Bahraini courts since 2004.
She first filed a case against her ex-husband in Kuwait, where the couple met and married.
The Kuwait Sharia Court granted her full custody of Sarah after her ex-husband allegedly fled to Bahrain, telling Ms Flores he had divorced her and was keeping their daughter.
When she followed him to Bahrain in November 2004, she was told she had to file a case here as the Kuwaiti ruling did not apply.
Ms Flores was first granted custody of the child during a Sharia Court hearing in March 2008, but her ex-husband refused to hand the child over - despite four court orders obliging him to do so.
He eventually did and was granted visitation rights, but allegedly failed to return Sarah after taking her out during a visit.
In July last year the Execution Court ordered Sarah be returned to Ms Flores after the girl's father was arrested for breaching his visitation rights.
However, he was freed following a Sharia Court hearing at the Justice Ministry in Manama a week later, despite refusing to reveal his daughter's whereabouts.
The judge said he was powerless to keep the girl's father locked up and told Ms Flores she would have to file another criminal case against him.
Sarah's father and his five sisters then filed a civil case against the Filipina seeking BD12,750 in damages for the emotional stress they claimed she put the family through by initiating legal action against him, but it was thrown out.
Ms Flores' ex-husband broke a court order in 2005 and fled with the child to Qatar, where he has relatives.
But he was persuaded to return several months later after being threatened with a kidnapping charge.
Juffair Social Centre officials were unavailable for comment last night.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Battered girl sues father, stepmother (Cebu City, Phillipines)
UNNAMED DAD and his stepmonster wife essentially tortured this girl between 2005 and 2008. But the girl is fighting back and suing them for child abuse.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view/20090706-214079/Father-stepmother-face-14-counts-of-child-abuse
BATTERED GIRL SUES PARENTS
Father, stepmother face 14 counts of child abuse
By Ador Mayol Cebu Daily News
First Posted 08:41:00 07/06/2009 Filed Under: Crime
For beatings so horrific that a 13-year-old girl endured at home, her father and stepmother now face child abuse charges before the Cebu Regional Trial Court.
Jasmine (not her real name) was found taking refuge in a church in Labangon, Cebu City in late 2008 with bruise marks in many parts of her body.
The discovery eventually led to her to getting the help she needed and the filing last Friday of charges against her parents.
The case of Jasmine, who was raised in a middle class family, is one of the few complaints of parental abuse that reach the court. Her tale of abuse shocked church workers who found her.
Jasmine’s body had been sprayed with insecticide and bathed in rugby. She was kicked and whipped at home with a belt buckle on the breast, tied with a belt in her neck while being pulled around, made to go outside their house naked, was almost hit by the car driven by her stepmother, choked, mauled until she lost consciousness, and had her toenails pounded with a hammer.
These were just some of the "painful" experiences that the girl went through over three years from 2005 until September 2008, when her father dropped her off the street to fend for herself, according to the charge documents submitted in court by government prosecutors.
Cebu City Prosecutor Nicolas Sellon approved the filing of charges.The father was slapped with five counts of violating Section 10, Paragraph A of Republic Act 7610 or the Anti-child Abuse Law. The stepmother faces nine counts .
The prosecutors asked the court to issue an arrest warrant against the couple. Bail was recommended at P80,000 for each count.
Section 10 states that "any person who shall commit any other acts of child abuse, cruelty or exploitation or to be responsible for other conditions prejudicial to the child's development including those covered by Article 59 of Presidential Decree No. 603, as amended, but not covered by the Revised Penal Code, as amended, shall suffer the penalty of prision mayor in its minimum period” or 12 years.
The last act of abuse came when her father dumped her on the street.
The father drove her to the Redemptorist Church in Cebu City and asked her to get down from the car saying: "Go live your own life. I don't want anything to do with you anymore." The girl walked through the streets until she found herself at the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Labangon, Cebu City.
On Sept. 9, 2008, Jasmine was found by volunteer church workers. Her lips and mouth were swollen. She had rashes all over her body, a swollen foot and a burn mark in her left palm.
Jasmine asked church officials not to send her back home.A volunteer worker, in her affidavit, said the girl was so scared and said that her parents would just make her rest for three days to allow her wounds to heal before she would again be beaten up.
Her parents went looking for her but parish priest Joel Jurao decided to bring the child to her grandmother in Iloilo, as requested by Jasmine. The girl now stays there.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view/20090706-214079/Father-stepmother-face-14-counts-of-child-abuse
BATTERED GIRL SUES PARENTS
Father, stepmother face 14 counts of child abuse
By Ador Mayol Cebu Daily News
First Posted 08:41:00 07/06/2009 Filed Under: Crime
For beatings so horrific that a 13-year-old girl endured at home, her father and stepmother now face child abuse charges before the Cebu Regional Trial Court.
Jasmine (not her real name) was found taking refuge in a church in Labangon, Cebu City in late 2008 with bruise marks in many parts of her body.
The discovery eventually led to her to getting the help she needed and the filing last Friday of charges against her parents.
The case of Jasmine, who was raised in a middle class family, is one of the few complaints of parental abuse that reach the court. Her tale of abuse shocked church workers who found her.
Jasmine’s body had been sprayed with insecticide and bathed in rugby. She was kicked and whipped at home with a belt buckle on the breast, tied with a belt in her neck while being pulled around, made to go outside their house naked, was almost hit by the car driven by her stepmother, choked, mauled until she lost consciousness, and had her toenails pounded with a hammer.
These were just some of the "painful" experiences that the girl went through over three years from 2005 until September 2008, when her father dropped her off the street to fend for herself, according to the charge documents submitted in court by government prosecutors.
Cebu City Prosecutor Nicolas Sellon approved the filing of charges.The father was slapped with five counts of violating Section 10, Paragraph A of Republic Act 7610 or the Anti-child Abuse Law. The stepmother faces nine counts .
The prosecutors asked the court to issue an arrest warrant against the couple. Bail was recommended at P80,000 for each count.
Section 10 states that "any person who shall commit any other acts of child abuse, cruelty or exploitation or to be responsible for other conditions prejudicial to the child's development including those covered by Article 59 of Presidential Decree No. 603, as amended, but not covered by the Revised Penal Code, as amended, shall suffer the penalty of prision mayor in its minimum period” or 12 years.
The last act of abuse came when her father dumped her on the street.
The father drove her to the Redemptorist Church in Cebu City and asked her to get down from the car saying: "Go live your own life. I don't want anything to do with you anymore." The girl walked through the streets until she found herself at the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Labangon, Cebu City.
On Sept. 9, 2008, Jasmine was found by volunteer church workers. Her lips and mouth were swollen. She had rashes all over her body, a swollen foot and a burn mark in her left palm.
Jasmine asked church officials not to send her back home.A volunteer worker, in her affidavit, said the girl was so scared and said that her parents would just make her rest for three days to allow her wounds to heal before she would again be beaten up.
Her parents went looking for her but parish priest Joel Jurao decided to bring the child to her grandmother in Iloilo, as requested by Jasmine. The girl now stays there.
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