The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it is prepared to provide psychosocial support to a child vendor seen being shooed away by a mall security guard in a viral social media video on Thursday, Jan. 16.
Secretary Rex Gatchalian directed the DSWD Field Office-National Capital Region (FO-NCR) to locate the family of the girl in school uniform, who was selling sampaguita in front of a mall in Mandaluyong City.
In the video, the security guard destroys the child’s sampaguita garlands while attempting to drive her away from the mall’s front steps.
“We do not tolerate hurting a child. We will seek out the child and her family in order to provide psychosocial support and other possible interventions to keep her out of the streets selling sampaguita,” Gatchalian said.
The DSWD chief added that the FO-NCR was also instructed to engage with the mall management about possibly providing training for their employees on how to properly interact with children in similar situations.
“We will also be looking for the concerned security guard to lecture him on how to treat children kindly so we can prevent similar incidents of manhandling from happening again,” Gatchalian said.
DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao pointed out the importance of collective efforts in ensuring that children are protected from all forms of abuse and exploitation.
“It takes a village to raise a child. Kaya kasama ang family and immediate community na dapat nagbabantay sa mga bata (That is why the familiy and immediate community should be the ones looking out for the children),” Dumlao said.