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Studies
show that there is a marked increase in the incidence of
child abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence.
Lately,
Bulacan was pinpointed as topping child-exploitation
cases due to its use of children in the manufacture of
pyrotechnic products. In the south, children risk their
lives in muro ami fishing, which continues even today.
Concerned with this trend, Congress enacted Republic Act
7610, “An Act Providing Stronger Deterrence and Special
Protection Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and
Discrimination.” An offshoot of this law was the
creation by the President of the Special Committee for
the Protection of Children, chaired by the Justice
Department and cochaired by the Department of Social
Welfare and Development.
Matters
about children seldom make it to the front pages. Our
awareness on this issue is often low because of the lack
of information. Beyond the headlines, children have
become easy prey to exploitation and violence because of
economic pressures and neglect. Criminals have found
child exploitation lucrative, particularly in such areas
as child labor, pornography, prostitution, robbery and
in a host of other criminal activities.
Children
are so vulnerable and so innocent that they need our
special protection and care to nurture their God-given
talents to become responsible and productive members of
society in their adult years.
Neglected children are the state’s special concern,
particularly those who are in conflict with the law,
those affected and displaced by armed conflicts, street
children, children with disabilities, those who need our
special protection, children in drugs, and those
belonging to minorities and indigenous peoples.
Children
under protection come not only from poor families but
also from rich quarters, especially those with big
families. Problematic kids may also come from separated
families, those living away from home, children without
primary caregivers and out-of-school youths, and
children living in remote and hard-to-reach areas.
To
resolve problems on children, the government is
confronting it boldly and decisively, nipping the
problem in the bud and addressing it frontally through
cross-cutting strategies and interventions. Raising the
public’s awareness on the problem is essential in the
long- and medium-term programs by addressing families
and communities.
Education is another method to counter the spread of
this present-day social plague with such modules as
back-to-school scheme, alternative learning system and
vocational training to generate interest in
self-employment capabilities.
Helping
children to possess the right knowledge and skills and
helping them build self-respect and intellectual
competence, providing them with training for
participatory leadership, enable children to make
intelligent decisions for their health, protection and
development, compel them to avoid crime and addiction,
and help them recognize the dangers of early pregnancy
and sexually transmitted diseases.
Legal
and judicial protection of children demands that all the
five pillars of the Philippine justice system—the
community, law enforcement, prosecution, courts and the
correctional structure—shall learn to work together in
order to prevent the growing complexity of problems on
children and be able to respond promptly to such
problems that the rehabilitation process will be swift
and effective.
Presently, the methods of prevention, response and
rehabilitation are slow and ineffective due mainly to
the lack of skilled manpower. Therefore, increasing the
human resource in the justice system is a high priority
program.
The
government is doing so much to confront problems on
children with legal and judicial measures, with
psychosocial approaches and remedies, with adjustments
in the corrective system through the separation of minor
offenders from adults, through education and skills
training and livelihood opportunities.
Oftentimes, so much is still not enough as problems
arise from different strata of society, each social
class creating its own special headaches, and a lot
still need to be done.
In
providing solutions to problems on children, Article 12
of the Convention on the Rights of the Child provides
that the child participate in the discussion on child
protection. “. . . [A]ssure the child. . . The right to
express those views freely in all matters affecting the
child. . . [and] be provided the opportunity to be heard
in any judicial and administrative proceedings. . . .”
In this
manner, the child participates in building the framework
of his development because he knows best his own
situation and can ensure that work gets carried out and
followed through.
We, who
belong to the justice system, ensure that the five
pillars of the justice system provide speedy legal and
judicial protective measures while strictly observing
child-sensitive and child-friendly rules and procedures
in consideration of the best interests of the children
at all times.
There is
a need for closer coordination among our agencies for
the early disposition of juvenile cases and put online
effective operational monitoring systems that will
highlight such cases to increase our response
capabilities.
Adults
leave behind their legacies in the conduct of our
national concerns in the hands of children, hoping that
someday the next generation will even be more
intellectually capable to manage our country’s affairs
and bring our politically mature and highly
industrialized nation into the next millennium.
We build
for the future and the future resides in our children
who we often take for granted. Protecting our children
is investing in the future of our nation. |
