Celso leads World Day Against Child Abuse
Mayor Celso Lobregat yesterday led government agencies, academe and children organizations in the observance of World Day Against Child Abuse at the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) gym.
In his message, Mayor Lobregat emphasized the importance of child protection from all sorts of abuses even as he added that the success of the program would largely depend on the cooperation of the community and the barangay officials.
“I am happy the barangay officials are here because the success of this program would depend on their cooperation,” Lobregat said.
Yesterday’s program was in preparation for the forthcoming International Day on prevention of child abuse on Nov. 19, this year.
For her part, Dr. Milabel E. Ho, WMSU vice president for Research Extension and Development, commended the chief executive’s participation in the program which, she said, aims to mobilize and educate governments and societies to take action to prevent child abuse.
Dr. Ho cited a 2004 report by the Women’s World Summit Foundation, a coalition of women and children organizations, which showed that an estimated 3 million children were alleged to have been victims of physical, sexual, verbal and emotional abuse, neglect, abandonment and death. After investigations, almost 900,000 of the children were found to have been victims of child maltreatment.
Child maltreatment refers to an adult’s action or failure to take action that results in the physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect and medical neglect of a child or presents a risk to seriously harm a child. Emotional abuse is one of the most common and harmful forms of child maltreatment and can have a lifelong impact – affecting children’s ability to feel safe and loved, the way they relate to others and their self-esteem, according to the report.
Present during the program were DILG City Director Pedro Cuevas, Councilor Rudy Lim, barangay chairmen Abs Sakandal of Zone 4, Roseller Garina of Patalon, Rey Modillas of Cawit, kagawads from Tumaga and Sto. Niño, Rev. Fr. Angel Calvo of the Inter-religious Solidarity Movement and children organizations together with City Social Welfare and Development Office staff and students. (Vic Larato)