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Friday, November 10, 2017
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THE MONTH of November, the fourth anniversary of super typhoon “Yolanda”, is also the Month of the Child. And so we ask: How is the implementation of the Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act?
This groundbreaking law, enacted last year, mandates national and local government agencies to establish and implement a Comprehensive Emergency Program that prioritizes the protection of children and pregnant and lactating mothers during and after emergencies and disaster situations natural or man-made.
It can’t be business as usual anymore, especially every typhoon season. We know that the Philippines is hit by at least 20 deadly typhoons every year and millions of children are clearly most at risk. But the law does not only cover natural calamities. Situations such as armed conflicts and other civil disturbances increase, too, the vulnerability of children to various forms of abuse, neglect and violence.
The lack of proper implementation of policies and programs for children during emergency situations has grave effects on the normal development of children, and may have repercussions that can last into their adulthood. At the minimum, we should be able to know for sure how many children are at risk or vulnerable. The law requires the Social Welfare department and other national agencies to enhance services related to monitoring and protection of children. These include family tracing for unaccompanied minors, separate data collection to identify children, child-focused emergency trainings and limiting use of schools as evacuation centers so that children could quickly resume their classes.
Through the Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act, we can increase the accountability of local and national governments to communities, especially during calamity situations. After all, disaster risk reduction, response and management processes involve the collective action of the public and the government. One of the keys to the proper enactment of this law is to empower the public and encourage their involvement in crafting and implementing disaster risk reduction management policies and programs that can help improve the ability of communities to mitigate the effects of calamities and promote resiliency.
We can save more lives if we work in solidarity with each other.
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