EDITORIAL - No child left behind

The Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted on Nov. 20, 1989 by the United Nations General Assembly, with states bound legally and morally to improve the plight of children.

The Philippines became the 31st state to ratify the convention in 1990, and progress has been achieved in the country since then to promote children’s welfare. Among the notable achievements are the substantial reduction in child mortality, increase in immunization coverage, and enactment of the Milk Code. Laws have also been passed to protect children from domestic violence as well as sexual and labor exploitation. Measures have been approved to promote the welfare of children with disabilities or living in conflict zones.

Poverty and limited resources in a developing country as well as the weakness of implementing laws, however, leave millions of Filipino children vulnerable to exploitation and violence. The Milk Code and laws against child labor are poorly implemented. The Internet has been a boon for purveyors of child pornography. And children continue to suffer from armed conflict, with a number of them recruited as child soldiers.

The numerous disasters that hit the country regularly worsen poverty and its impact on children. Prostitution is on the rise in areas devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda, with many of the sex workers still in their teens. Among the extremely poor, births are not registered, depriving the affected children of basic government services. Mothers are not aware of their rights as provided by law, leaving them and their children vulnerable to domestic violence. And while basic education is free and more girls are attending school, the country’s dropout rate remains high.

The country has approved several landmark legislation and other measures to promote the welfare of children. As in economic growth, however, these measures must be felt all the way down to the grassroots. On the 25th year of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the nation must commit that no child will be left behind.