THOUSANDS of Filipino children and millions worldwide are made to suffer injustice, abandonment, being forced to work as slaves, deprived of nutritious food and education.
They are trafficked as sex objects for the sexual gratification of lustful abusers, raped and abused by family members and pedophiles, all for the satisfaction of adults. They are then branded as children with âcriminal mindsâ.
Are we surprised that they should run away and live apart on the streets alone or in groups for survival?
Should we be surprised if they have no trust in adults and society to love and protect them?
Much as the government and society will not admit it, they are child victims, not criminals. They are victims of violence, bullying, beatings, deprivation and abuse.
Should we be surprised if they grow up with anger, pain, and repressed suffering and turn to crime as adults, rejected and stigmatized as teenage criminals?
Who formed the so-called âcriminal mindsâ, but the adults responsible for their childhood suffering when they had power over them as children. This we know since we are trying to save and protect them from such abuse before these children are damaged beyond healing and repair.
Since 1974, almost 50 years since the foundation of Preda, about 5,000 youth and children in conflict with the law have been healed and found a new life through the therapy and program of life in the Preda open homes. They choose to stay by free choice and are treated with respect, dignity, care, therapy, education and are given understanding and acceptance. They have been healed and empowered.
However, no one in government has had a vision or is interested to help and heal the children in conflict with the law in such a successful program of life. Those with court cases won a dismissal and went on to live successful lives of value. Instead, in most government facilities like Bahay Pag-asaâs, the youth and children are treated as criminals deserving punishment.
For the last 17 years, ever since the passing of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act in 2006, which is being acknowledged this month, the Preda Foundation has been actively campaigning for the full implementation of this law.
The law was enacted to protect the vulnerable children in conflict with the law as they struggled to survive in a violent, drug-infested society without education, love, protection or reception. After many years of campaigning by the Preda Foundation and other NGOs and media like CNN, Republic Act 9344 was passed into law.
By prioritizing rehabilitation, diversion, and restorative justice, Republic Act No. 9344 (R.A. 9344) or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act (JJWA) recognizes the potential for positive change in young offenders and seeks to transform them into responsible and productive members of society.
This law is vital to help children that are surviving and staying alive on the streets or in impoverished families. Everyone has a right to eat even if they have to steal. They were and are still being abused in some municipalities that have jail cells with steel bars without sufficient beds and decent, dignified facilities. They were considered to have âCriminal Mindsâ .
Mayors should visit these Bahay Pag-asa facilities and decide if they are suitable for their own children. What CNN showed in 2006 is still true today in some places, despite the law that was supposed to change everything. See video:Â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5rxEFBCbW8 (To be continued)/PN
