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National Early Childhood Care & Development Coordinating Council

Council for the Welfare of Children

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A CHILD…

A child refers to a person below eighteen (18) years of age or one who is over 18 but is incapable of taking care of himself fully because of a physical or mental disability or condition or of protecting himself from abuse

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FOUR BASIC RIGHTS OF the CHILD

SurvivalDevelopmentProtectionParticipation

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SITUATIONof FILIPINO CHILDREN

(2006)

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Philippine Population

• 85.2 million (total population as projected

by NSO for year 2005)

• 43.4% or 32.8 million are children or below 18 years old

• 15% or 13.5 million are below 6 years old

Source: NSO 2005

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On Families at Risk

33.7% or 4.3M families are at-risk or live

below the poverty threshold

Source: NSCB APIS 2002

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The Unborn• Many mothers still die

due to complications during pregnancy and child birth

• Maternal Mortality rate: 172 for every 100,000 live births

• 7 of 10 pregnancies are considered high-risk

• The cycle of malnutrition begins with the mother

Source: Situation Analysis of Women and Children 2003 National Demographic and Health Survey 2003

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As of 2000:

2.6 million or 15% of children (0-17 years old) are NOT REGISTERED

Source: Census 2000- National Statistic Office

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Source: National Demographic and Health Survey, 2003 NSCB, 2002 Statistical Yearbook Philippine Progress Report on the MDG 2003

0->1 years old•Almost 29 of 1,000 infants die before reaching the age of one

•Leading causes of infant deaths are preventable diseases like poor respiratory conditions, malnutrition and diarrhea

•About 300,000 Filipino babies are born each year with intellectual impairment due to iodine deficiency

•How the child develops in these early years sets the stage for later success in school and the character of adolescence and adulthood.

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1->5 years old

Source: Situation Analysis of Women and Children 2003 National Demographic and Health Survey 2003

•Almost 40 of 1,000 infants die before reaching the age of five

•Despite ECCD Act, many children still do not experience any learning stimulation at home nor access day care services

•Only 21% of 6.5 million 3-5 year olds go to Day Care Centers

•3 of 10 children, especially in rural villages and urban slums, are underweight.

11Source: DSWD Planning Division 2004 DepEd – BEIS SY 2002-2002

5->10 years old

•Almost all Filipino children are in elementary schools but only 7 of 10 Grade 1 students will reach Grade 6

•More children drop-out during the first three years of schooling

12Source: DepEd Planning Division 2004 DepEd – BEIS SY 2003-2004

10->15 years old•4 of 10 13-year old children do not move on to high school

•Of those who enroll in high school, 5 of 10 eventually drop out

•Those who finish high school acquire skills that are below international learning standards.

•1 of 25 adolescent females experience pregnancy before 18 years old

•Adolescents are more critical of their parents; about half of them do not find their parents as role models

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ECCD and the Child's Staying Power

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Children whosurvived age 5

EnrolledPreschool

Grade 1 CompletedGrade 6

Cohort SurvivalRate High

School

Completed HighSchool

31.3%

96.7%

66.3%% 49.7%

48.1%

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These are children who are … • in hazardous &

exploitative labor• on the streets• victims of sexual

abuse & commercial exploitation

• victims of family violence & neglect

• separated from or have lost their parents

• with various forms of disability

• in conflict with the law

• girl children• in situation of

armed conflict• in ethnic/cultural

communities• Muslim• With HIV/AIDS

Children in Need of Special Protection

Source: Child 21, Council for the Welfare of Children

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4 million child laborers 59.4% or 2.4 m are exposed to hazards 6:10 children are unpaid 60% of them are in agricultural areas 36.5% of working children do not go to

school

2001 Philippine Survey on Children by NSO

Child Labor

Child Labor as defined by ILO - Forced labor - Hazardous and exploitative conditions (deep-sea fishing, pyrotechnic industry, mining & quarrying, sugar cane plantation, commercial sexual exploitation, domestic work) - Deprived of education opportunities

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Street Children

75% with families

20% refrain from going home

5% without families

Source: DSWD National Project on Street Children, 2003And the Lamberte Study on Streetchildren 2000

National estimate: 45,000

Highly visible children: more than 4 hours on the streets

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• Trafficking• Child Prostitution• Child Pornography

Victims of commercial sexual abuse are:

• mostly female, ages 13 –18• initiated into the sex trade as early

as age 10• Belong to a large family• mostly out of school/drop-outs

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

Source: Framework of Action Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

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Total MaleFemale

1,392 103 1,289

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

Source: DSWD, 2000 –2004

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Sexual AbuseTotal Male Female

22,742 249 22,475

From 2000 – 2005, there were 22, 724 victims of sexual abuses (rape, incest, acts of lasciviousness).

There is a decreasing trend shown by these data from 2000 to 2005.

98.9% of these victims are girls.Source: DSWD, 2000 –2005

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Source: DOJ, Special Committee.

Date Covered: 1993-2006

Partial Data

Cases Filed Per Region473

7

105

439

203

1 13

76

148

3 3 3 2 10

50100150200250300350400450500

NCR NONE REG. I REG. III REG. IV-A

REG. IV-B

REG. V REG. VI REG.VII REG. VIII REG. IX REG. X REG. XI REG.XIII

No. of Cases

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• Children under the age of 18 who have close family members living w/ HIV

• Those who have lost close family members to HIV and AIDS

• Those who are living with HIV

*Majority of the children of PLH do not know that HIV and AIDS is in their lives

Children Affected by HIV

Source: A Deafening Silence…The Situation of Filipino Children Affected by HIV/AIDSA Rapid Assessment

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Girl Children• Year 2000, half of the estimated

children population are female

Girl Children are:• usually victims of child abuse

• more affected by HIV/AIDS, STD & teenage pregnancy

• victims of illegal recruitment (esp. girls from rural areas)

• victims of gender stereotyping in education, child labor, prostitution, etc.

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Profile of children inconflict with the law:usually male• between ages of 14–17• elementary graduate• middle child; from a low-income

family • charged with property related

crimes, rape and murder• exposed to drugs or gang influence

Children in Conflict with the Law

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• In the Philippines, children accused of committing crime as young as nine years old are arrested and detained like adults

• As of December 2005– 1504 (under the custody of BJMP) +1625 (children in RRCYs; 215 came from

BJMP) 3129 CICL

*more than 10,000 cases involving children were handled by Public Attorney’s Office

• Most of them were charged with minor crimes such as petty theft, sniffing of glue or solvents and vagrancy

Source: DSWD 2005 and BJMP 2005

Children in Conflict with the Law

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• more boys than girls

• 201,869 children with disabilities

• 1:5 children in 0–6 age bracket has some form of disability

• 10–14 age group has the highest prevalence rate

• most common forms of impairment are hearing & visual impairment

• more than half are acquired and can be prevented Data source: 2000 NSO Census

Children in Various Circumstances of Disability

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• As combatants, couriers, guides, medical aides or spies

• 13-18% of armed rebel groups

• There were 277 CIAC reported cases from 1989 to 1Q 2006.

Children in Situations of

Armed Conflict

Source: OPAPP Report, 26 September 2006

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• 2.5 million indigenous children ( NCIP est. in 2005: 12M-all

ages)

• live in remote areas usually accessible only by foot

• have limited access to basic social services

• often suffer from discriminationand neglect

Data source: 1995 NSO Census

Children in Ethnic/Cultural Communities

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A Child-Friendly Child-Sensitive Society

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Role of the Prosecutors

• making case investigation Child-Friendly (both for child victim and child offender)

• immediate resolution of cases involving children

• track records on child-related cases for monitoring purposes

• implement DOJ Circular relative to Affidavit of Desistance on child-related cases

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International Commitments

• Convention on the Rights of the Child

• Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict

• Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution & Child Pornography

• ILO Optional Protocols 138 and 182

• Convention on Discrimination Against Women

• Millennium Development Goals

• World Fit for Children

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National Framework Plans– Philippine National Strategic Framework

for Plan Development for Children (Child 21)

– National Plan of Action for Children (Medium Term Plan/ 2005-2010)

– National Framework for Children’s Participation: A Guide in Promoting & Upholding Children’s Participation in the Philippines

– Framework of Action against Commercial Sexual Exploitation (2000 – 2004)

– Comprehensive Program Framework on Children Involved in Armed Conflict

– Medium Term Strategic Framework for the Girl-Child

Government Response

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– 1987 Constitution– Presidential Decree No. 603

(Child & Youth Welfare Code)– Republic Act 7610

(Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act)

– RA 8172 (ASIN Law)– RA 8369 (Family Courts Act)– RA 8370 (Children’s Television Act)– RA 8972 (Solo Parents’ Act)– RA 8980

(Early Childhood Care & Development Act)

Policy & Legislative Initiatives

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Policy & Legislative Initiatives

– RA 9208 (The Anti Trafficking in Persons Act)– RA 9231 (The Act Prohibiting Employment of

Children in Hazardous Areas) – RA 9255 (Providing Illegitimate Children the

Right to Use the Surname of their Father) – RA 9262 (The Anti-Violence Against Women

and their Children Act of 2004)– RA 9288 (The Newborn Screening Act) – RA 9344 (The Juvenile Justice & Welfare Act of

2006)– E.O. 209 (Family Code of the Philippines) – EO 286 s. 2004 - Bright Child Program (part of

Child Friendly Movement)

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Policy and Legislative Initiatives

• Executive Order No. 56 (26 November 2001),

• Inter-Agency MOA on the Handling and Treatment of Children Involved in Armed Conflict (21 March 2000)

• IAC-CIAC Resolution No. 1-06

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Programs & Services for Children

For 0-6 years old

Pre and Post Natal CareBreastfeedingImmunizationGrowth Monitoring and PromotionSupplemental FeedingHome and Center-based Day CareEffective ParentingPre-School EducationHealthy Lifestyle

For 7- below 18 years old

Elementary EducationSecondary EducationAlternative Learning SystemSpecial EducationComprehensive Program for Child ProtectionMulti-Grade TeachingIndigenous People Learning SystemNon-formal EducationYouth DevelopmentHome and Community Food ProductionNutrition EducationSocial ProtectionReproductive Health

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All these activities and efforts are done in close collaboration with LGUs and NGO partners, the private sector, the church

groups, media and CHILDREN!

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