911 emergency hotline can help address bullying in schools - CHR
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expressed its full support to the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) initiative to allow incidents of bullying in schools to be reported through the 911 emergency hotline.
In a statement issued on Thursday, June 19, the CHR said the PNP’s initiative “is a significant step in enhancing child protection mechanisms by ensuring that cases of bullying can be urgently and easily reported.”
Earlier, Education Secretary Sonny Angara had said that PNP personnel are only allowed outside school premises in the government’s campaign against bullying.
PNP Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo agreed with Secretary Angara and said that police officers will not enter educational institutions unless there is a request for police assistance from school officials.
The CHR said that while bullying cases will be reported to the PNP, students involved must not be treated as criminals.
It stressed that “interventions should focus on restorative and developmental approaches that aim to correct behavior, ensure accountability, and promote a culture of empathy and respect among peers.”
It pointed out that every child -- whether victim, perpetrator, or witness -- deserves protection of their rights, dignity, and welfare.
At the same time, the CHR reminded school administrations that the primary responsibility for addressing bullying remains with them, and they should ensure swift, appropriate, and child-sensitive responses to reports of bullying, in accordance with the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013.
It said that the Philippines, as a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, “has an obligation to ensure protection and care for children necessary for their well-being, and that Article XV, Section 3 of the 1987 Constitution also outlines the right of children to 'special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to their development.'
The CHR assured that it will do its part by working with the Department of Education (DepEd) and other relevant stakeholders to prevent, if not totally eliminate, instances of bullying and addressing its negative impacts to children’s holistic development.