ILOILO CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-6 reported an increase in the number of children in conflict with the law (CICL) across Western Visayas region in the first three quarters of this year.
The Regional Juvenile Justice and Welfare Committee (RJJWC)-6 under the DSWD-6 said there were 648 CICL from January to September, an increase of 23.9 percent or 155 CICL compared to the same period last year with 493.
As part of National Children’s Month, the RJJWC-6 is pushing programs to curb the increase of CICL.
Anna Karla Villanueva of the RJJWC-6 Secretariat said that 187 CICL are under community-based programs while the remaining 175 are in diversion programs which are formal rehabilitation programs that give them the option not to go to court for a crime or offense committed.
Villanueva said that the number of CICL went up this year partly due to the easing of Covid restrictions.
RJJWC-6 records showed the province of Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, had the most number of CICL with 221.
The province of Iloilo and Iloilo City had a total of 184 CICL. Guimaras has 101 CICL; Capiz, 62; and Antique, 25.