Monday, December 23, 2024

STOP INSTITUTIONAL CHILD ABUSE

STOP INSTITUTIONAL CHILD ABUSE My dear countrymen, the United States has adopted a new law to protect children who are residing in public facilities such as orphanages and juvenile detention centers. In the interest of bringing attention to this concern among our local lawmakers, I am featuring some quotations here from Microsoft Copilot. START QOUTE 1: The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act is a significant piece of legislation aimed at protecting children in youth residential programs. It was introduced in the spring of 2023 and has recently passed both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The act mandates the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a comprehensive study on the state of youth in these programs, with the goal of making recommendations to improve their care and safety. The study will be carried out by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and will include input from various stakeholders, including those with lived experience in institutional care. The act also aims to bring greater transparency and oversight to these facilities, particularly regarding the use of restraints and seclusion rooms as forms of punishment Paris Hilton, who has been a vocal advocate for this cause, played a crucial role in lobbying for the bill's passage, drawing from her own experiences of abuse in a youth residential facility. END QUOTE 1. START QUOTE 2: Institutional child abuse in the Philippines is a significant concern, affecting many children in various settings such as schools, orphanages, and religious institutions. Despite efforts to protect children's rights, cases of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse continue to be reported. A study highlighted that violence against children in the Philippines is often influenced by cultural factors and the historical context of the country. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has documented an increase in cases of child abuse and neglect over the years Efforts by organizations like UNICEF aim to address these issues through comprehensive programs and policy recommendations. The government and various NGOs are working to improve the situation, but there is still a long way to go to ensure the safety and well-being of all children in institutional settings. END QUOTE 2. And so, there you have it. institutional child abuse is real and is happening in the Philippines, and yet it is not reported in the mass media, and neither does our own Congress conduct hearings about it. The new American law mandates their Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a study to find out more about the problem. In our case however, perhaps we could mandate the Department of Social Warfare and Development (DSWD) to oversee our own study, and then the DSWD could ask the Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS) or the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) to conduct the actual study. It is worthwhile to note that the celebrity Paris Hilton was instrumental in the passage of the new law, because she lobbied hard for it, having been a victim of abuse herself. What do we have to do to have a similar law passed in the Philippines? Do we have to look for our own celebrity who could lead our own lobby? I am hoping that by publishing this letter, someone can come forward to lead the lobby. Possibly, it could either be an individual or an NGO that could lead. Perhaps the DSWD, through the Committee for the Special Protection of Children that it chairs could lead it on their own initiative, if not the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC)? Your friend, IKE SENERES/12-24-24/visit my blog senseneres.blogspot.com

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