PH showed UN rapporteur child rights policy working

The recent visit of United Nations Special Rapporteur Mama Fatima Singhateh in the country became a chance to show the government’s effort in advancing child rights, according to the Presidential Human Rights Committee (PHRC) on Friday.

Singhateh recently concluded her 10-day visit in the Philippines after assessing efforts to the sale and sexual exploitation of children in the country.

She was accompanied by Antara Singh, human rights officer from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Severo Catura, executive director of the PHRC secretariat under the Office of the President, said Singhateh’s visit led to sharing of best practices and providing an effective resolution of human rights concerns.

"The freedom of movement and inquiry afforded by the government that allowed Madame Singhateh to meet stakeholders from civil society is yet another manifestation of a wide civic space existing in the country, for which we thank these stakeholders for their constructive participation and professionalism, all for the sake of our children,” Catura said in a statement.

“By this way, this country visit has become a chance to showcase the Philippine government’s efforts and good practices in child rights policy that other countries can emulate, and at the same time see where improvements can be made,” he added.

The UN rapporteur’s visit, which started on November 28 until December 7, included meetings with representatives from the Philippine executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and covered the areas of prevention, protection, justice, and rehabilitation.

She also held dialogues with children and civil society organizations working on child welfare issues in the different parts of the country.

“While UNSR visits are an opportunity to benefit from the expertise, wisdom, and experience of no less than UN experts, the Philippines’ engagements are geared toward rendering the work of these experts responsive to the actual human rights realities of States they visit,” Catura said.

“In this regard, we do our share in strengthening the UNSR mechanism,” he added. 

The Department of Justice earlier bared that the Philippines remained to be a source and place for child trafficking, sale, sexual abuse, and forced marriage and labor, among others.

No explicit legal provision in the Constitution exists to penalize the exploitation of children for travel and tourism.

Singhateh said there might be an under-reporting of child victims of sale and sexual exploitation in the country as the definition and distinction between these terms are “inadequate.”

She then recommended a distinction in the law between the sale of children and child trafficking.

Singhateh also emphasized the need for more support on financial and human resource aspects to address the needs of the children in these institutions.—Richa Noriega/LDF, GMA Integrated News