By RUTH NACIONAL
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – Child rights group expressed concern about the removal of the Philippines from the list of countries with Grave Child Rights Violations (GCRVs) next year. 

“As an organization that works directly with children and communities who are victims of human rights violations, CRC is deeply concerned and strongly stands against the removal of the Philippines from UN reporting on GCRVS cases,” said the Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC), an organization that provides services to children who experienced abuse or trauma. 

In a forum on July 30, CRC said that the removal of the Philippines from the list poses a greater challenge on monitoring and reporting GCRV cases in the country due to the possible weakening of the Philippine Country Task Force for Monitoring and Reporting (CTFMR) due to the formation of the government-led Inter-Agency Committee on Children in Situations of Armed Conflict (IAC-CSAC). The CTMFR is the UN’s primary mechanism for reporting and validating cases of Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), and is led by Unicef and composed of UN agencies and civil society organizations (CSOs). 

The removal of the Philippines in the said list was confirmed by United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ in his 2024 report on CAAC published on June 20. 

The 2024 CAAC report states that in the Philippines, UN verified grave violations against nine children (five boys and four girls), the recruitment and use of seven children (three boys, four girls) attributed to the New People’s Army (four children) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) (three children), and the use of “madrasa” or an Islamic school by the AFP during an operation against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. It also notes the killing of two boys, one attributed to the AFP and the other to unidentified perpetrators.

“In view of the level of grave violations in the Philippines and the preventive measures adopted as agreed, which are in the process of being formalized by the Government in cooperation with the United Nations to protect children, the situation of the Philippines will be removed from my next report,” Guterres’ report read. The country has been on the list for 22 years.

For a country to be removed from the list, there has to be a decrease in GCRV cases and the government has to agree to adopt an action plan or a prevention plan. 

According to the report, the Philippines government and the UN agreed on a child protection road map that is being formalized. The roadmap commitments include the formation of the IAC-CSAC through Republic Act No. 11188, the formation of standard protocols, and the addition of child protection in exploratory talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines. It also aims to institutionalize a “one-stop” monitoring system program called MAKABATA (Mahalin at Kalingain Ating mga Bata) Helpline 1383, and to include the Magna Carta for Children in the 20th legislative agenda of the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC).

While government agencies such as the CWC see this ‘good news’ as a ‘historic milestone for Filipino children’ but for the CRC and other child rights advocates, it’s no cause for celebration.

Concerns on roadmap commitments

CRC noted that the IAC-CSAC only has two CSOs as members while the rest are mostly government agencies, including the Philippine National Police (PNP) and AFP. It questions the agency’s capacity to verify and observe neutrality when reporting GCRVs, especially when these agencies have records as perpetrators.

The organization stressed that the PH MAKABATA program is “insufficient and inaccessible” as one would need to have a gadget, a secure signal, and load, to report a case. The program will also include GCRV cases with those of Children in Need of Special Protection (CNSP), abuse, negligence, and other related cases. 

GCRVs are defined by Deped Order No. 57, S. 2017 as the killing and maiming of children, recruitment and use of children, rape and grave sexual violence, abduction, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access.

CRC deems it ‘problematic’ to combine these reports with CNSP cases as the helpline will not be able to properly distinguish the context of the armed conflict, the type of the violation committed, and the perpetrator. The Republic Act 7610 holds the State responsible for monitoring and intervening in CNSP cases, which might influence the veracity of reporting cases of GRCVs committed by state forces.

In addition, the roadmap does not mention anything about holding state forces accountable for committing GCRVs and does not guarantee an impartial investigation into suspected perpetrators.

In their statement, the organization said that root causes of armed conflict should be addressed to end the systemic violence affecting not only children but also families and communities. 

They added, “While acknowledging the apparent decrease in GRVS reports (2021–2023), the reality in the communities shows that violations of children’s rights continue through repressive policies, counterinsurgency programs, and harsh rehabilitation measures, especially in the far-flung areas.”

The CRC said that GCRVS in the Philippines are either underreported or not even reported at all to the authorities. “In conclusion, CRC opposes the removal of the country from the UN report list because it stands firm on the truth that the state is the primary violator of children’s rights, through policies and programs that, in reality, suppress legitimate campaigns under the guise of child protection and ‘promotion of peace.” (AMU, DAA)