MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the establishment of a one-stop system where the public can report child rights violations, Malacañang announced on Tuesday, December 10.
Malacañang released a copy of Executive Order (EO) No. 79, approved on Friday, December 6, establishing the Mahalin at Kalingain ating mga Bata (Makabata) Program and its helpline, 1383.
The EO describes the Makabata Program as a “one-stop system for addressing and monitoring all issues and concerns of children in need of special protection (CNSPs).”
CNSPs refer to all Filipinos below 18, or are over 18 but are unable to fully take care of themselves because of physical or mental disabilities, and are vulnerable to or victims of abuse, neglect, exploitation, cruelty, discrimination, and violence. Examples include child labor, online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), children in conflict with the law, and children with human immunodeficiency virus.
The program has four components: reporting, rescue and relief, rehabilitation, and reintegration. The government, together with private stakeholders and partners, are mandated to identify CNSPs, deliver services in instances of immediate danger, provide psychosocial support, and reunify CNSPs with their families and the community.
The hotline number 1383 is mandated to operate 24/7 and be accessible through SMS, email, website, and social media.
The EO contains a long list of implementing agencies, with the Department of Social Welfare and Development as the lead:
The EO puts special emphasis on addressing OSAEC, a prevailing issue in the Philippines, which has been tagged as a global hotspot of the crime. The Council for the Welfare of Children is tasked to refer all OSAEC concerns received through the 1383 hotline to the country’s national coordinating center for OSAEC and child sexual abuse and exploitation materials.
In August, Marcos also signed an EO creating a Presidential Office for Child Protection. The President has lamented how OSAEC remains rampant in the country.
Read the entire EO 79 here:
– Rappler.com