Annually, the Philippines celebrates the National Children’s Month during the month of November since the year 2015. It encourages the Filipinos to know and understand the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as well as to sustain the promotion and protection of child’s right especially in this time of pandemic.

In the Philippines, a lot of children suffers from exploitation, abuse and violence which makes their childhood horrifying for them. It didn’t give them a childhood that most of the children dreamed of having or a great childhood visualized in the television which significantly affects their lifelong development and adult life.

According to the Philippine National Baseline Study on Violence against Children, 80% of Filipino children had experienced some form of violence in their lifetime.

In response with this, this year’s theme for the National Children’s Month is, “New Normal na Walang Iwanan: Karapatan ng Bawat Bata Ating Tutukan!”

This theme focuses on the child’s right to survival, development, participation and protection in the new normal setting. It emphasizes that no child will be left behind, regardless of the situation. Specifically, it aims to:

• Address the persistent and emerging issues on the rights of the children to survival, development, protection, and participation since the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020 and currently in the new normal setting this 2021;
• Strengthen the implementation of child-led, child-friendly, and child sensitive activities; and
• Empower the children as rights-holders to claim and protect their rights and equip the duty-bearers to deliver their commitment and fulfill their obligations towards children.

The goals for this year’s celebration are still anchored on the 3rd National Plan of Action for Children (NPAC) Goals to progressively realize the rights of children.

Goal 1: Children have a better quality and improved way of life;

Goal 2: Children are well nourished, have healthy lives and are active learners with good quality education;

Goal 3: Children are safe and free from violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation; and

Goal 4: Children are actively participating in decision-making processes affecting their lives according to the evolving capacities.

Children are still developing themselves which makes them especially more vulnerable than the adults. They are susceptible to malnutrition as a result of poor living conditions such as poverty, inadequate health care & nutrition, unsafe water, poor housing and environmental pollution. These things could threaten the future of the children which also affects the societies they live in negatively. It is the duty of the children’s family and the State to nurture and guide the children towards their independence.#MPRayco

References:

DepEd Memorandum No. 075, s. 2021

worldvision.org.ph/campaigns/child-rights-history-facts-how-to-protect-them/