CHILDREN in barangays are still exposed to gangs and the harsh initiation rites that include having sex with leaders and elder members.
This was among many concerns children from densely populated communities in Davao City presented during the fish bowl discussion of the children-members of the Acts of Children Alliance (ACA) on Tuesday, November 28, at Grand Men Seng Hotel.
"Gangs in our community are very rampant especially during nighttime. Those who want to join their gangs should undergo initiation which can be 'palami' or 'pasakit'," one of the child panelists said in the vernacular. 'Palami' involves sex, while 'pasakit' involves hazing.
"The gang members in our community are involved with illegal activities such as smoking and drinking and they usually appear at nighttime around one in the morning," the child added.
But even as many know that being involved in gangs bring them into trouble, children still do to get a sense of belongingness and protection.
This is in reaction to the lack of protection and belongingness to be derived from their individual families and their communities, the child said.
Add to this the lack of proper education and guidance, then children in inner city settlements get in conflict with the law or become parents at a very early age.
In commemoration of the National Children's Month, 30 representatives of six different non-government organizations (NGOs) supporting women and children's welfare tackled current issues and concerns the children in their respective communities are facing. The discussion was intended to be extemporaneous, no script involved, for the children to express their real sentiments with a child moderator present.
"We are trying to let the children analyze their own situations. As you can see, this is not scripted. Once they are able to analyze, then hopefully they are able to come up with their own recommendations for the NGOs, for the barangay officials," Child Alert Mindanao Executive Director Bernie Mondragon said.
The NGOs involved in the activity are the Kaugmaon, whose advocacy is against child labor; Talikala against prostitution and sex trafficking; Adolescent Health Advocate which advocates against teenage pregnancy; Alay Mindanao advocates help for CCIL and children in prostitution, Lawig Bubay for women and children in prostitution; and Child Alert which is based in Davao Oriental and Davao del Norte which advocates against trafficking.
The adults, who were also in attendance, listened while the children voiced their concerns. Concerns ranged from child prostitution, how the society perceives the women and children, lack of education by parents and the children themselves, rape, to gang membership.
Mondragon added the government has a lot of laws and initiatives but most of these fail to address the root causes of the problem which most usually boils down to parents who have no source of income, thus, not being able to properly guide their children, as well as the supposed to be thorough involvement of the local government units especially the Barangay Council for Protection of Children (BCPC).
"We are hoping that the one percent budget for the children allotted from the BCPC budget be given to us and not be corrupted and be given to us. That is just one percent and yet we are still not able to benefit properly," another child said.
The forum ended with the moderator pointing out that the situation of the children is reflective of the situation of the community. "If the child is problematic so is the community." The same is correct if the children are happy and healthy, it reflects to the kind of community they are in. They hope that the policy makers, NGOs, and government officials will be able to hear and act on their concerns and recommendations.