Four more minors allege rape

Four more minors have alleged that they were raped while they were detained at the processing centres, prior to their deportation from Sabah, said Philippine authorities.

Three of them will submit their sworn statements to Persida Acosta, head of the Public Attorney's Office who went to Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga del Norte to get the statements of deported Filipinos who were sexually abused.

The other was a confirmed rape victim but she refused to press charges, said Justice Secretary Hernando Perez. "Apparently, some victims would rather suffer in silence."

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary, Blas Ople, said the Philippine government is consolidating efforts to render justice to the 13-year-old Filipina who was allegedly raped by Malaysian police in a detention centre in Kota Kinabalu.

The Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur has sought the services of Gordon Jones, a Malaysian lawyer who is an expert in sex abuse cases, to help the 13-year-old.

The payment for Gordon, noted Ople, will be sourced from the Legal Assistance Fund, which was established by the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipino Act.

After holding a meeting with Perez and Social Welfare Secretary, Dinky Soliman, Ople said: "The government will comply with the request of the Malaysian police to present evidence so that the alleged perpetrators will be punished."

"She (rape victim) is in a fragile state," said Ople.

He added that Soliman has been preparing the child to go to Sabah to identify her rapists. The three doctors who examined her will release their findings before the end of this week.

"She needs immediate psychological help," said the social welfare secretary who has custody of the rape victim.

Earlier, the rape victim was identified only as Tsina, but the social welfare department has started to call her "Angelica".

Meanwhile, government lawyers received 40 more affidavits from deported Filipinos who claimed they were victims of abuse and maltreatment in Malaysia. Three young women said they were raped. They also said they were willing to testify.

Sahira Abdul Harun, a pregnant woman, claimed the Malaysian police beat her up despite her condition while she was detained in Sabah.

The relative of a woman known only as Daruza died while giving birth because of complications she suffered during her detention in Sabah. Children were scalded with hot water or doused with cold water to stop them crying, witnesses said.

Men and women said they received lashes for not being able to clean their bodies, or for staying beyond 10 minutes in the makeshift toilets.

Medical certificates accompanied the sworn statements of those abused. "We have strong evidence to back our claims that deported Filipinos have been maltreated," said Acosta.

The complaints, Acosta added, could either be brought before the Malaysian courts or the International Court of Justice since they involve human rights violations.