80% of Pinoy children face violence – CEAP

MANILA, Philippines — Eighty percent of Filipino children have experienced some form of violence at home, school, workplace, community or in dating relationships, the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) revealed as it called for stronger child protection measures in Catholic schools through a protocol.

“The CANE+D Protocol, covering Child Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation and Discrimination, should be a serious concern for Catholic education because the scale of violence against children in the Philippines tells us that child protection cannot remain at the level of policy statements,” CEAP said.

The association noted that aside from the 4th National Plan of Action for Children report, the United Nations Children’s Fund reported that three in five children experienced violent discipline, about one in three experienced school bullying and one in five children who use the internet have experienced sexual abuse or exploitation online.

In 2023 alone, the Philippine National Police Women and Children Protection Center received 18,756 reports of child rights violations, of which 17,304 involved violence against children, including child abuse, rape and acts of lasciviousness.

“These figures remind us that a school may be one of the places where a child first discloses harm or where warning signs are first seen. The revised CANE+D protocol therefore matters because it establishes a more coordinated pathway for identification, reporting, investigation, case management, legal proceedings, rehabilitation, reintegration and prevention,” CEAP added.

CEAP said the protocol brings teachers and other frontline workers into the protection system and calls for specialized training for personnel handling CANE+D cases.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government has directed local government units to adopt and implement the revised CANE+D Protocol and strengthen coordinated referral and case-management systems involving social workers, law enforcement, health professionals, educators and other frontline actors, CEAP said.

“For Catholic schools, this is ultimately a question of mission: when the dignity of a child is wounded, how prepared are we to recognize it, respond to it, protect the child and walk with the child toward healing?” it asked.

“Healing, therefore, cannot mean simply helping a child feel better after something has happened. In Catholic education, healing must include protection, truth, accountability, accompaniment, restoration, and the rebuilding of trust,” CEAP said.