Bike parade launched vs child abuse

MANILA, Philippines — The Child Rights Network conducted yesterday a bike parade to drum up public support for Congress to pass legislation that will prevent, if not totally eradicate, violence against children (VAC).

The three-hour “Padyak to #EndVAC,” which started at the Boy Scout Memorial Circle along Timog Avenue and ended on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, drew participants from child welfare organizations.

The group urged Congress to work for the passage of legislation seeking to address online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, increasing the age of statutory rape and prohibiting child marriages.

“Although people’s mobility has been restricted by the pandemic, violence against children continued to proliferate. More children are abused and exploited even at their home,” Eule Rico Bonganay, coordinator of Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns, said.

Cases of violence against children have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic started in March last year, Bonganay said.

Based on the report of Save the Children Philippines in 2020, at least one in six children reported violence at home during the pandemic.