ABUSED CHILDREN!

Are we taking good care of our children?

Last month, we read very alarming reports about children killing other children for disturbing
reasons. Some of us quickly attributed this to a host of possible causes the Internet, social
networking, computer games, the Pinoy diaspora, etc., etc. A knee-jerk solution might be to ban
or limit Internet access of children or discourage mothers from working abroad! Not necessarily
wise, not necessarily wrong either. But one thing is sure. Our children need protection, they
need guidance, they need our love and affection.
Statistically Speaking had previously written about children: Our Children are at Risk, Save
our Children, Statistics on Violence against Women and Children: A Morally Rejuvenating
Philippine Society?, Our Christmas List for our Children, and Guilty and not Guilty! But
with the spate of horrible news on children recently, and as we celebrate the National Statistics
Month and the National Childrens Month in October, it behoves us to once again focus attention
on some statistics about children.
Children and women are two of the poorest basic sectors of
Philippine society with poverty incidence of 34.8% and
25.1%, respectively, in 2006, behind fishermen and farmers7!
Children by their innocence about the ways of the world, are
surely vulnerable; and while many Pinays are successful and
productive professionals, there are many women who are also exposed to various kinds of risk. It
is therefore incumbent on the duty-bearers of our children and women to assess the quality of
social protection they receive.
Many agencies of government are mandated to provide services to children and to look after
their well-being. These include the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the
Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of Health (DOH), the Philippine National
Police (PNP), the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), the Early Childhood Care and
Development Council (ECCDC), the Philippine Youth Commission, the Juvenile and Domestic
Relations Court, etc. And while these agencies are not without their share of bureaucratic
inefficiency and ineffectiveness, they surely have hardworking women and men who do their
best to deliver high quality service to their stakeholders. But with the social ills we have
confronted lately, their best is obviously not good enough, unfortunately.
Other duty-bearers include the church, schools, the community, Congress, the media, civil
society, and of course, the family. Where and why have these institutions failed? If one
remembers, Statistically Speaking had reported that non-random surveys of different groups,
including professionals, government employees, private sector employees, members of the
military, and the low income group showed 8 that the family is the most important source of
happiness among Pinoys. The family is therefore pivotal in the functioning of our society and it

is crucial that the family be protected and preserved as a social institution that lays the
foundation for our well-being especially those of our children. Social scientists should probably
study whether the cohesiveness of the Pinoy family has weakened; if so, why and whether this
could be a major reason for the social problems we have with our children.
As many of us have finally realized, statistics inform decisions. Towards evidence-based
decision making therefore, let us look at some statistics to help us craft more effective programs
and policies for the protection of our children. In addition to those previously cited by
Statistically Speaking, this article features the available statistics on child abuse cases served by
the DSWD. We are grateful to the DSWD for collecting, processing and sharing the information
with the public. It would be useful if Bantay Bata Foundation and other duty-bearers from the
private sector also systematically collected and disseminated data on children.