By Ellalyn de Vera Ruiz
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has taken into custody a four-year-old child tied upside down by his father in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
Department of Social Welfare and Development logo (MANILA BULLETIN)
The child was seen on a viral Facebook video being tied upside down on a window of their house while being physically assaulted by his own father.
Upon seeing the post, DSWD’s Community Programs and Services Bureau coordinated with the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) of Sta Rosa for the investigation of the incident. The child is now under the temporary protective custody of the CSWDO through its Bahay Pag-asa.
“Given that the Bahay Pag-asa is designed for children in conflict with the law, we have tasked our field office in Calabarzon to facilitate the immediate referral of the child to an accredited child caring agency or placement for foster care to properly address his needs,” DSWD Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Glenda Relova said.
She added that DSWD-Calabarzon will also conduct a thorough assessment of the child and will provide him with appropriate interventions that would address his immediate and underlying needs.
Meanwhile, Relova appealed to the public to refrain from sharing the video on their social media accounts.
“We appeal to the public to please stop sharing the video as it will only aggravate the trauma. To concerned citizens who want to report a case of child abuse, please coordinate directly with us by sending private messages to our Facebook and Twitter accounts or you may also report to other government agencies, including the Commission on Human Rights, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, among others,” she said.
She also urged the members of the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children to intensify their monitoring of children's welfare in their respective communities.
“Children are among the most vulnerable sectors of our society. We call on everyone to help us uphold the rights of our children and to protect them from any form of abuse in every way they can,” she added.