DOLE to public: Report cases of child abuse

Noting cases of child abuse in the country, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has urged the public to report abuses committed against children of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) through Hotline 1349.

Children left behind by their parents to work abroad are prone to abuses, according to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.

“I am asking the public to call Hotline 1349 if they witness or suspect that a child of an OFW is being abused so we can ensure the safety of the child,” Bello said.

He said that information to be received by the agency would be validated in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and Department of Justice.

Based on a survey of the Council for the Welfare of Children, National Baseline Study on Violence Against Children released last year, around 80 percent of Filipino children have suffered at least one form of abuse and violence in their lifetime.