MANILA, Philippines- Nagpahayag ng matinding alalahanin ang Commission on Human Rights (CHR) ukol sa report na may mahigit sa 11.6 milyon mula sa 23 milyong kabataang Pilipino na may edad 14 taong gulang pababa ang nakaranas ng “violent discipline” sa kanilang tahanan noong 2022.
Sa isang kalatas, ipinalabas ngayong araw ng Biyernes, Disyembre 13, tinukoy ng CHR ang natuklasan ng United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) na nagpapakita ng “alarming statistics that underscore the deeply ingrained culture of violence affecting many Filipino children.”
Makikita pa rin sa report ng UNICEF na “in 2022, three in five children –or nearly 60 percent of one- to 14-year-olds in the Philippines –experienced at least one form of ‘violent discipline.”
“Furthermore, 11.6 million children, or more than 50 percent of this age group, reported experiencing physical aggression; 9.1 million, or 39 percent, were subjected to physical punishment; while nearly 800,000, or 3.4 percent, suffered ‘severe’ physical punishment,” ang sinabi ng komisyon.
Winika pa ng CHR na “this pervasive cycle of violence is compounded by high rates of child abuse, school bullying, child labor, and early marriage, which further highlight the widespread vulnerabilities faced by Filipino children.”
Tinukoy pa ng CHR na: “The UNICEF report unveils a troubling reality: many children are subjected to violent discipline—a practice we must urgently put to an end. In light of these findings, we call on the government and relevant stakeholders to prioritize child protection in both policy and practice.”
Binagngit din nito ang Artikulo XV, Seksyon 3(2) ng 1987 Philippine Constitution na nagsasabing “the State shall defend the right of children to assistance, including proper care and nutrition, and special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to their development.”
Inihayag pa ng CHR ang Artikulo 19 ng United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) na binibigyan ng mandato ang state parties na “take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social, and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment, or exploitation, including sexual abuse.”
Kaya naman muling nanawagan ang CHR para sa “immediate passage of the Magna Carta of Children Bill.”
Ayon sa CHR, ang panukalang batas ay makapagpapalakas sa monitoring mechanisms at makapagbibigay katiyakan sa epektibong implementasyon ng UNCRC sa bansa.
Tinutukoy ng CHR ang Senate Bill 2612 at House Bill 10159 na nagbibigay katiyakan sa proteksyon ng mga kabataan sa bansa.
“No child should grow up in a world where violence and fear overshadow love and peace,” diing pahayag ng komisyon. Kris Jose
