MANILA, Philippines – We are concerned about reports of children at risk (CAR) and children in conflict with the law (CICL) facing cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment for violating the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Sadly, many CICL are still kept in regular jails and detention facilities, with adult criminals,” said Olga Rodriguez, Country Director of EDUCO Philippines, a member of the Joining Forces Alliance. “Detention centers in the country are in dire conditions with overcrowded cells and poor hygiene facilities where children might contract COVID-19,” Rodriguez added.”
The Joining Forces Alliance calls on all local government units to comply with the Joint Memorandum Circular by Department of Interior and Local Governance (DILG) and the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) dated April 6, 2020 in the context of the ECQ. It reiterated the protocols on reaching out to children including those in street situations, in need of special protection, CAR, and CICL.
We
would like to reiterate the following in the handling of CAR and CICL:
“We recognize the importance of the task of our law enforcers to
strictly implement the quarantine measures and we value that these are for the
protection of our communities,” said Pilgrim Bliss Gayo, Country Coordinator of
Terre des Hommes – Germany in the Philippines. “However, it is also the task of law enforcement to ensure that
children’s rights are promoted even during the ECQ,” stressed Gayo.
The
Joining Forces Alliance urges the government to:
We call on the DILG to:
We also appeal to all local governments to:
We urge the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council and the CWC to:
Lastly, we urge parents and caregivers to
supervise their kids and to follow curfew hours.
“Violence and discrimination
against children can never be justified for the sake of combating a public
health emergency,” said Rodriguez. “It
is during this trying time that children critically need protection from all
forms of violence or abuse.”
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