2 years after siege:1.8-M children face threats of conflict across Mindanao
SAVE the Children Philippines said two years after the Marawi siege, affected children still face uncertainties with wartorn homes and schools while parents have no stable jobs and livelihood.
Lawyer Albert Muyot, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Philippines said lingering armed conflict across Mindanao threatens 1.8 million children who face death, injury, diseases and trauma.
“As we continue to help children and their families rebuild their lives in Marawi, we have begun emergency response to children and their families since February due to pockets of gun battles in Maguindanao, Surigao del Sur, Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur,” said Muyot in statement.
From February to March, the number of displaced children in those provinces has reached 77,000, he said.
The Marawi Response Office (MRO) of Save the Children Philippines on Thursday joins local government leaders, communities and families in a day of commemoration of the five month siege that flattened the once bustling city of Marawi.
Save the Children has launched its global campaign “Stop the War on Children” to raise awareness on the condition of 420 million or 1 in 5 children who are living in armed conflict areas across the world including the Philippines.
He said prolonged conflicts across Mindanao aggravate the situation of hunger and undernutrition among children especially those 5 years old and below.
Save the Children global data showed the number of deaths of children five years old and below due to armed conflict reached 870,000 between 2013 and 2017, five times higher than the 175,000 adult fighters who died during the same period.
Last year, 16 children were killed in a crossfire in Mindanao and another 17 children were injured due to similar incidence.
Save the Children Philippines raised concern on the situation of the 96.4 percent or 3.6 Million of the population of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) are vulnerable to conflict. Of this number, 48.8 per cent
or 1.8 Million of them are children. BARMM provinces include Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawitawi.
In the last two years, Save the Children Philippines has reached 22,000 affected children by distributing learning materials, setting up Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS) so they can resume classes and Psychosocial Services to address children’s trauma from conflict.
Save the Children Philippines is extending assistance to affected children in Marawi through livelihood and employment programs to their parents.
The organization provided child protection services by raising awareness of children and their parents on risks of physical and sexual abuses while in evacuation centers.
To prevent spread of diseases among children, Save the Children Philippines provided access to safe water and sanitation, distributed soap to meet hygienic needs. The group also raised awareness on hygiene behaviors for children by providing dignified, safe, and clean toilet facilities.
Muyot raised the need to improve the living conditions of communities to avoid child recruitment for economic and sexual exploitation.
He hopes that the situation of children in Mindanao will improve with the passage of Children in Situations of Armed Conflict (CSAC) or Republic Act 11188.
The law guarantees humanitarian support and protection of children in situations of armed conflict.
“The impact of war on children lasts beyond the end of conflict,” said Muyot. “We must be relentless in pursuing peace to improve the situation of children in Mindanao.”