‘Actually, it’s 3,700 children languishing in RP jails’

The alarming report that more than 2,000 Filipino children are languishing in the country’s jails with adult criminal offenders is actually an understatement.

The truth is, an average of 3,700 kids are locked up behind bars at any given day, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).

More than 2,000 of these children are detained at city, municipal and provincial jails under the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP). The rest are in other detention facilities like police stations, barangay halls and rehabilitation or youth centers, Unicef project officer Alberto Muyot revealed.

Muyot said there is a need for the government to address this problem starting with the setting up of a system which will monitor cases of detained minors.

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR), he said, should exercise its visitorial powers in partnership with other offices or groups and periodically check each jail facility.

Muyot was among the panelists at yesterday’s Conference to Strengthen the Philippine Justice System held at the Mandarin Hotel in Makati City.

The CHR organized the event in partnership with the Sweden’s Ombudsman for Children, the Embassy of Sweden in Manila, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

The conference, graced by Swedish Ambassador Annika Markovic, discussed how Sweden and the Philippines can work together to improve the justice system for kids in both countries.

Swedish Ombudsman for Children Lena Nyberg said the Philippine government must do something and that means more than just releasing money and coming up with new legislation.

Nyberg said solving the problem of children in conflict with the law should start from everyone, especially parents.

She said responsible and God-fearing kids are products of responsible and God-fearing parents who understand their children and listen to them.

Nyberg noted that adults often fail to hear what a child is really saying and feel what children are trying to express.

She said adults usually fail to see that a child’s perspective is different from adults.

CHR Commissioner Dominador Calamba said laws should be passed and more funds allocated to get children in conflict with the law out of adult jails and other detention facilities.

"Congress and the government should do something. Kailangan natin ng (We need) restorative justice for children. Tama na pulitika (Enough of politics)," he said.

"We want our policymakers and decisionmakers to do something. Maraming pork barrel dyan eh," Calamba said, criticizing those who keep citing budget constraints to justify the continuous detention of minors in adult jails. — Michael Punongbayan