Anti-Child Abuse Network conducts planning workshop

By Maria Aprilla W. Cruz

Friday 18th of January 2013

BAGUIO CITY, Jan. 18 (PIA) -- Towards the realization of its vision of a community where every child is a happy child, protected and nurtured in an environment that is free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and provided with the opportunity to fully develop the child's potential towards becoming a productive member of society, the Anti Child-Abuse Network (ACAN) members met on Thursday to review network vision, mission and goal statements, protocols and effects to partners and to evaluate achievements in 2012.

Created by the Child and Family Service Philippines, Inc. (CFSPI) in 1996, the ACAN formerly known as the Child Abuse Unit, has multi-sectoral members and has two existing committees: the case management committee and the advocacy committee.

Shirley Casallo, social worker of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), reported that through the network activities, performance of network members resulted to positive and efficient delivery of services towards promoting children’s rights.

This, she said, is evidenced by the Baguio City Police Office adjudged as the Best Women and Children Protection Desk nationwide for the year 2011. The Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD) stood out among the other cities in the country because of high volume of cases entertained and filed against perpetrators of crimes against women and children.

But much is still to be done and the meeting tackled the network’s direction for the year.

For the Case Management Committee (CSC), the planned activities to be undertaken for the next 12 months is the conduct of trainings of service providers on anti-child pornography, anti-voyeurism, and child welfare code.

Another plan is to request the management of Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) for the provision of a Women and Children Protection Unit (WCPU) social worker on a 24/7 who will attend to clients needs being referred at the BGH-WCPU during weekends and holidays so that clients will be accommodated immediately.

The CMC likewise intends to conduct a dialogue with the Philippine Mental Health Association (PMHA) about obtaining initial psychological evaluation for special children for inquest cases in order to prevent dismissal of cases at the level of the prosecutor.

Also to avoid duplication of reported cases, the network plans to maintain a master list of abused cases to avoid duplication of reported cases. They will conduct cross-checking of cases per agency served.

For the advisory committee, the activities to be conducted are as follows: attend monitoring and supervision, conduct orientation to students on the prevention of child abuse, hanging of streamers, distribution of ACAN flow chart, distribution of brochure to schools and barangays, production of news releases on children’s concern.

The ACAN members also agreed to provide timely, effective and efficient services that are responsive to the needs of victims of child abuse, manage cases with the least trauma and stop abuse by promoting community awareness and community programs against child abuse. (JDP/MC-PIA CAR)