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NOVEMBER is National Children’s Month by virtue of Republic Act 10661. It commemorates the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the United Nations General Assembly on Nov. 20, 1989 and seeks to instil its significance in the Filipino consciousness.
In line with this and as consumers go on pre-Christmas toy shopping spree, it is fitting to remind parents to pick up toys that do not expose young children to hazards. They must insist on the right of their children to safe toys regardless of where the toys are sold and bought.
Be on the lookout for dangerous toys that can injure innocent children. As adults who control the purse strings, parents can harness their purchasing power to ensure that their kids are provided with toys that promise good fun, entertainment and education, and are protected against physical and chemical harm.
Dangerous toys are those that pose burn, chemical, choking, ingestion, laceration, strangulation, and other hazards, including those that can injure the eyes and damage the ears. Select toys that are appropriate for the child’s age, aptitude, skill and temperament, and follow the age recommendation. Look for toys that are bigger than a child’s mouth to avoid choking (“the smaller the child, the bigger the toy”). Avoid toys that can easily break into small parts or with small unsecured components that may be ingested or placed in the nose or the ears.
Watch out for toxic toys or play things laden with health-damaging chemicals such as antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury and phthalates. Avoid toys with paint coatings – unless certified as lead-safe – to prevent kids from being poisoned when they bite, chew, lick or swallow toys with lead coatings.
Also, avoid toys that tend to induce aggression and violence such as toy guns, knives and other toy weapons.
This is a good time, too, to appeal to the toy industry – the toy manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers – to respect the children’s right to safe toys and not to put toys in the market that have not undergone and passed the required physical and chemical safety tests and are not adequately labeled.
Our children deserve nothing less than non-hazardous toys.
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