The Valenzuela city government, the Philippine Legislators' Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) and the United Nations International Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Philippines conducted on Tuesday, Oct. 24, an advocacy caravan aiming to amplify the voice of the youth and strengthen the child protection system in the country.
The event was held at the Allied Local Emergency Response Teams (ALERT) Center Multi-purpose Hall.
It assembled diverse group of attendees, including local government officials and child advocates who participated to gain knowledge in newly enacted child protection policies which shapes the country’s child protection system.
The local government said that UNICEF released a report in 2018 revealing a number of barriers that prevent children from fully enjoying their rights as stated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child -- the rights to education, health, protection, and participation.
Among the barriers include national laws and policies for children’s rights that were not effectively disseminated and implemented; inadequate financing of essential sectors that affected the quality of health, education, and other services; sociocultural norms and beliefs that violate children’s rights; shortage of well-trained, qualified professionals at the local level that hinders delivery of services to children; and national disasters and armed conflicts.
In 2019, Valenzuela City pledged to become the first “Pathfinding City in the World” to end the violence against children aiming to raise awareness, stimulate leadership commitment, and establish a standard of national violence prevention throughout the world.
On the same year, Valenzuela also partnered with the UNICEF in boosting the city’s capacity to deliver and achieve results for its initiatives for children and to foster the rights and protection of the minors in the city.
During the event, Valenzuela City Social Welfare Operations chief Ms. Dorothy Evangelista said that Valenzuela, as a pathfinding city, aims to create a safe community where every child grows up nurtured and safe from all forms of abuse and violence, and to implement evidence-based practices to end violence against them.
UNICEF Child Protection Officer lawyer Marie Michelle Quezon discussed several child protection laws enacted in the last four years such as protecting the best interest of the child, emphasizing their importance for the children’s growth and development.
The local government said that the youth in the city were encouraged and given the opportunity to be heard through capacity-building towards co-creating local legislation for child protection.
Councilor Nina Lopez, Local Council for the Protection of Children vice chairperson, also led the signing of a manifesto on protecting the rights of the Valenzuelano youth.
Through the manifesto, the local officials, parents, and children expressed their commitment to enforce child protection laws; support to the initiatives of the government against online child exploitation, statutory rape, child marriage; and implement the Safe Spaces Act to ensure the safety of the youth and women while in public spaces in the city.
Present during the event were UNICEF Philippines Chief of Child Protection Ms. Patricia Lim Ah Ken, UNICEF Child Protection Officer lawyer Marie Michelle Quezon, PLCPD advocacy manager Nenita Dalde, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Valenzuela Director Sudi Valenzuela, Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Noel Bagano, Valenzuela City Police Station Women and Child Protection Desk police officers, members of the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children, and child advocates from the city.