Sexual assault kits seen as critical link between a child’s disclosure and the pursuit of justice
DAVAO CITY (August 28) — For a child who survives sexual assault, telling someone what happened is often the first—and hardest—step toward justice.
But if critical biological evidence is not collected, documented and preserved properly, that disclosure can become much harder to translate into a case that can stand in court.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is now urging local governments to help close that gap by making Sexual Assault Investigation Kits (SAI.Kits) available in their communities.
Through Memorandum Circular 2026-035, the DILG called on local government units (LGUs) to invest in the kits and include them in their local plans, programs and budgets.
Developed by the University of the Philippines Diliman DNA Analysis Laboratory of the Natural Sciences Research Institute, the SAI.Kit was launched in May 2026 to provide a standardized and accountable system for collecting, handling, documenting and preserving DNA and other biological evidence from child survivors of sexual violence.
For investigators and prosecutors, such evidence can be critical.
For children, however, the process must go beyond building a case.
The DILG said the use of the kits should protect the rights, dignity, welfare and privacy of survivors while helping healthcare workers, police and other duty-bearers maintain the integrity of evidence needed for investigation and judicial proceedings.
The push comes as LGUs remain on the front lines of the government’s response to violence against women and children.
Barangay Violence Against Women Desks often serve as the first point of contact for victims and families. But reporting an assault is only the beginning. What follows—medical examination, evidence collection, referral, investigation, psychosocial support and possible court action—requires agencies to work as one system.
That is why the DILG is also calling for stronger referral mechanisms linking VAW Desks with local health offices, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, Local Councils for the Protection of Children (LCPCs) and Local Committees on Anti-Trafficking and Violence Against Women and Their Children.
Without that coordination, a forensic kit can remain just another piece of equipment.
The real test is whether a child can move from disclosure to protection and justice without being lost in a fragmented system.
The DILG said SAI.Kits are intended to supplement—not replace—the existing mechanisms for responding to sexual assault cases.
The initiative is also aligned with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to strengthen child protection and recovery interventions for young Filipinos who experience abuse.
But putting the policy into practice will ultimately depend on LGUs.
Investing in the kits means more than purchasing supplies. It requires trained personnel, clear protocols, functioning referral networks and budgets that allow the system to work when a child needs it most.
For child survivors, every hour can matter in preserving evidence. Every failed referral can mean another barrier to justice.
By bringing SAI.Kits closer to communities, the government hopes to strengthen the crucial link between a child’s courage to speak out and the evidence needed to make perpetrators answer for their crimes.
