Meggie Ochoa, a three-time world champion in another federation and a bronze medalist at the 2018 Asian Games, is helping victims of sexual abuse cope with the traumatic experience by teaching them self-defense.
In the Agence France-Presse report on Ochoa, the program is aimed at providing sexual abuse victims tools to recover from such trauma and to better protect themselves in the future.
“Some of the kids that I’ve gotten to know… they saw themselves as worthless because of what they experienced. For me that’s so heartbreaking,” Ochoa told AFP during the launch of the advocacy campaign, Fight to Protect.
She has taught survivors for two years on courses to learn jiu jitsu and/or to learn self-defense.
The International Justice Mission (IJM) says that Filipino children are at risk of being forced into live streamed sex abuse, where pedophiles pay to direct so-called “shows” online.
“Easy access to the web and money transfer services make the country a global hotspot for this problem,” said IJM, noting that it is often parents or family members that organize or even commit the abuse.
