Marcos pledges protection, assistance for 11-year-old harassment victim

Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of rape and abortion. 

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has responded to an 11-year-old girl who asked for his help amidst her and her family's experiences of alleged abuse and harassment by a local barangay official, his sons, and a staff member. 

Redeemer Homeless Mission shared a letter signed by the girl addressed to Marcos, along with photos and a video of her at her graduation.

In her letter, the girl identified herself as one of the original recipients of the mission's advocacies. She is a resident of Tinambac, Camarines Sur. 

After describing her life in the mission, the girl said one of her sisters was allegedly raped by the son of a kagawad once in 2022 and twice in 2023. The sister subsequently got pregnant, after which the kagawad supposedly had her kidnapped and brought to Montalban, where the baby was allegedly aborted. The staff member who supposedly kidnapped her also raped her, the girl claimed. 

She also wrote that the kagawad has repeatedly harassed her family. 

"How will we read if we are being raped? How will we read if our own government people cut our electrical wire so we have no lights? How will we read if our kagawad cut our balon wires and so we have no water? We are kids, we are not involved in your political parties, I just want to go to school without being raped. So can you please help us?" the girl wrote. 

In his reply, Marcos promised support, protection, and assistance. 

"Your letter has reached me and brought me close to tears and made me very angry," he said. 

"I am sending policemen to you and your sisters to protect you and to find anyone who has hurt any of you. I will make sure that you will be able to continue reading and studying as much as you want," Marcos added.