Gov’t, UNICEF launch plan to address violence against children

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), Congress, and local governments, and non-government organizations launched yesterday the national plan of action to address the high incidence of violence against children in the country.

Sen. Loren Legarda and Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles with Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, representing local government executives, urged all levels of legislative and executive agencies to support child protection councils in addressing the high prevalence of physical, psychological, sexual violence and online abuse of Filipino children.

“We need to put a stop to these forms of violence and online sexual abuse,” Legarda, chair of the Senate committee on finance, said in a message at the launching of the Philippine Plan of Action to End Violence Against Children (PPAEVAC) held at the Philippine International Convention Center.

In this year’s national budget, the allocations for Philippine National Police’ Women and Children’s Protection Center were increased to purchase additional equipment and obtain training to increase their capability for the work.

Nograles, chairman of the House committee on appropriations, said Congress will support a P2.4-billion budget for the national implementation of the PPAEVAC.

“I commit to advocate to our colleagues in Congress to allocate these resources for this very important national plan, and continue policy dialogues for strategic implementation,” Nograles said.

Each of these agencies have committed to the strategy designated to their respective department: the DSWD will lead programs for all evidencebased parenting and positive discipline programs; Department of Education will integrate personal safety lessons and life-skills in school curriculum; DSWD and the Department of Justice to improve children’s access to protective and helpline services; CWC and the Department of Interior and Local Government to mobilize child protection systems at all levels effectively, with local governments and civil society, advocates, and the private sector; and the CWC will monitor the implementation of all VAC-related laws, along with continuous policy advocacy.

“It is concerning that violence pervades on children, committed by people they trust. Violence also has high economic cost to the country; the more strategically we prevent violence, government will be able to avert the expenses it will need in responding to VAC in the long-term,” UNICEF Philippines OIC-Representative Julia Rees said.

Social Welfare Undersecretary Emmanuel Leyco, DSWD officer-in-charge (OIC), said that the PPAEVAC was an important document that the DSWD was proud of having played a leading role toward its crafting.

“This is a very important document, and the DSWD is proud to support all the efforts that went into the development of its contents. We also vow to help popularize the PPAEVAC and to continue calling attention to all the issues it carries affecting children, their rights and welfare, as well as all the relentless campaign to build a kinder, more humane, and compassionate society for all children regardless of social and economic background,” he said.

“These are very disturbing statistics. Because of such data and the continuous proliferation of reports about children being exposed and/or subjected to various forms of violence such as sexual exploitation, physical abuse and maltreatment, DSWD social workers are always determined to help as many children as they can through the department’s centers and institutions… Let us work for a Philippines where every child can live in safety and security, with dignity and opportunities not only to exist and survive, but to thrive,” Leyco said.