DILG urges LGUs to adopt sexual assault kits for child survivors
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The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has urged local government units to adopt Sexual Assault Investigation Kits, or SAI.Kits, to help preserve critical evidence in cases involving child survivors of sexual assault.
The initiative is in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to strengthen child protection and recovery interventions for Filipino youth who have experienced abuse.
Through Memorandum Circular 2026-035, the DILG urged LGUs to invest in the SAI.Kit, developed by the University of the Philippines Diliman DNA Analysis Laboratory of the Natural Sciences Research Institute to aid investigations through forensic science and technology.
Launched in May 2026, the SAI.Kit provides a comprehensive, secure and accountable system for collecting, handling, documenting and preserving DNA samples and other critical biological evidence from child survivors of sexual violence.
The DILG said the kit is intended to help healthcare providers, law enforcement agencies and other duty-bearers preserve the integrity of evidence for investigative and judicial proceedings while protecting the rights, welfare, dignity and privacy of survivors.
As frontline responders to violence against women and children cases, LGUs were urged to invest in the kits and integrate their use into local plans, programs and budgets.
The department said the adoption of SAI.Kits would supplement the operations of Barangay Violence Against Women Desks, which serve as immediate access points in sexual assault cases.
LGUs were also urged to streamline referral mechanisms for sexual assault cases from VAW Desks to concerned offices through closer coordination with local health offices, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, Local Councils for the Protection of Children and Local Committees on Anti-Trafficking and Violence Against Women and Their Children.
The DILG said making sexual assault investigation kits more accessible could better support child survivors seeking justice by ensuring critical evidence is properly collected and preserved.
