Children have the right to identity, to be born, to be free, to live in a harmonious community and to be protected against all forms of neglect, cruelty or abuse. These are the universal rights inherent to a child widely acknowledged by laws, decrees or declarations implemented by the states and nations all over the world.
However, this idealistic situation may not always seem to be true for all cases especially in a developing country like the Philippines. Our streets are often filled with wandering children begging money from passers-by, looking for food in the trash cans, selling rags under the heat of the sun and even dying at the sides because of hunger and poverty. This is already part of our country’s inevitable social reality and in times like these, protecting our children’s rights is becoming more of an idealism than of reality itself.
According to Humanium, an international non-government organization for children, 1 out of 3 Filipinos is living below the poverty line. This consequently leads to children suffering from hunger and malnutrition.Moreover, more than 10% of the Filipino children are forced to work at a young age in order to support and provide for their families’ needs. This 10% figure translates to almost a million children rummaging for garbage in dump sites, working in a rice, fruit, and tea plantation or even in the fishing sector. Almost 17% of births in the Philippines are not officially registered. These children are mostly street children, Muslims and indigenous children who lack official identity. This could only mean one thing: these children will have a much harder time enjoying their assumed rights and given opportunities because of their official nonexistence in the eyes of the government. The children who have official identity even suffer from the neglect of their rights, how much more these ghost children?This clearly manifests exploitation of our children.
Children sleeping at the streets without proper shelter.
Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/
At a young age, these children search wastes and garbage for food and money to fill their families’ hungry stomachs.
Source: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/
These kids while holding free food ration tickets in their hands are lined up for free food given by a non-government organization.
Source: http://www.google.com.ph/
The best deal that any nation can make, in this case, the Philippines, is to capitalize and invest in its youth. Aside from formulating and passing laws that support, protect and acknowledges children’s rights, there should also be an efficient implementation and active action for these laws. Our government can also help in the protection of these rights by first providing the basic needs and social services its people mostly need.
Moreover, the media can even play a more active role in advocating children’s rights by raising the awareness of communities, policy-makers, and those who are responsible for attaining children’s rights. We, the ordinary citizen can also contribute to this advocacy by being socially aware and active; helping in every way may it be investing our time, energy, talent, skills in this cause. We are all responsible for ensuring our children’s future. We all must take responsibility of their rights for these youth would someday grow up into individuals to whom our country’s future depends.
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YOUth can. 