Legal support for child abuse victims strengthened

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

EFFORTS to protect children against rights violations and abuses have been strengthened after President Benigno Aquino III issued an executive order that intensified legal support for child abuse victims.

Executive Order (EO) 53, signed by the President on August 11, amended EO 257 issued in 1995, which created the Committee for the Special Protection of Children (CSPC).

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Released on Wednesday, the new order reorganizes the CSPC, an inter-agency body which acts indirectly as the coordinating body for the implementation of the Republic Act 7610 or the Anti-Child Abuse Act, and other government policies that uphold and promote children's rights and welfare.

The President wanted the CSPC to coordinate and monitor the investigation and prosecution of cases involving violations of the Anti-Child Abuse Act and other child-related criminal laws, as well as formulate and monitor programs under the law.

The new directive sought to ensure the legal protection of children who are victims of physical, sexual, trafficking, prostitution, child labor, neglect and exploitation.

He also ordered the CSPC to assist children of indigenous peoples, Muslim children, and others trapped in armed conflicts.

The CSPC was also tasked to give preferential attention to violent crimes committed against children, cases with great impact on national interest, and those referred to the body for immediate action.

"In issuing EO 53, the President believes that the implementation of the Anti-Child Abuse Act and other similar state policies, as well as the discharge of the function of the body principally responsible for the protection of children, will become more effective," Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa said.

Under the order, the CSPC will be chaired by the secretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and co-chaired by the secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Its members include the chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the secretaries of the Departments of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Labor and Employment (Dole), Tourism (DOT), the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Health (DOH), and Education (DepEd).

The commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration (BID), director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), chief of the Philippine National Police PNP, the prosecutor general, and three representatives from non-government or private organizations working and advocating for the protection of children will also serve as members.

The three representatives can be nominated by any member of the CSPC and will be appointed by the committee chairperson for a term of three years, which can be extended subject to the same process.

The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) will act as the secretariat of the CSPC.

Among the CSPC's mandate is to establish a system of collecting periodic reports from member-agencies on cases filed before the body, harmonize actions of various inter-agency councils on the legal protection of children, and develop and recommend policies and guidelines to address gaps and issues in the investigation and prosecution of cases.

The CSPC should also submit an annual report and accomplishments to the Office of the President.

EO 53 shall take effect immediately upon publication in a newspaper of general circulation.

"The President considers it exceptionally indispensable to give importance to law enforcement as a critical factor in the overall approach to protect children, including their rights, and to make sure that their welfare will not be taken for granted," Ochoa said. (Jill Beltran/Sunnex)