Universidad de Sta.

Isabel GEEL 002

Second Sem., A/Y 2019-2020 Peace Education

WORSHEET 4
(ANALYSIS PAPER)

Name: IAN B. BALCUEVA Course & Year: TED 1-SE

Date: MAY 22, 2020 Score____________ = __________

Philippine Children Face Abuse for Violating COVID-19 Curfew

The article number 05 of the Universal Declaration of human rights which says that
“No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment.” Imagine how power are overruled despite of our fight to the unseen enemy,
we are all are suffering from this pandemic but some of our officials are degrading the
rights of human being. I have seen many violations of human rights but this news article
wakes me up because of the unethical and immoral act of the authorities. Putting children
into a cage of an animal and forcing them to sit in the middle of the sun, locked in a
coffin and stripped naked is not an acceptable punishment to do into children simply
because it might affect their moral and self-esteem and their psychological aspect will be
affected also. According to the Republic Act 7610 or the “Special protection of children
against abuse, exploitation and discrimination.” Which says that Child abuse refers to the
maltreatment weather habitual or not such as psychological or physical abuse, neglect,
emotional treatment, or any act by deeds or words which debases, degrades, the instinct
worth and dignity of a child as a human being and many more. Any person that commits
any other acts of child abuse, exploitation, cruelty or to be responsible for other
conditions prejudicial to the child's development shall suffer the penalty of prison
depending on how serious or it is. There is no further explanation about the flow of the
investigation but still in my opinion they should put into jail for doings such crimes to
the children. There is one organization named Human Rights Watch that urged the
governments to prioritize the right to health and respect everyone’s human rights as they
respond to the COVID-19 pandemic not this kind of maltreatment especially to the
children of our nation and yes they violated the curfew measures but in the other hand
there are only children and they don’t know much about this national or international
issue. I think at this time of pandemic we should be more careful of the handling the
situation especially the public leaders and officials because our fight is not between us
humans, it is the unseen enemy. The Commission of Human Right should look for this
issue but then I think the government should focus on the fight against COVID-19 not
this kind of issue. Furthermore, it is nice to have a resolution about this matter and
maybe the local government should look for the parents first and tell them not to neglect
their children and conduct a short seminar about taking care of their children considering
the social distancing or the mass gathering measures. But then again our focus here is to
stop the spread of the Corona virus disease.
Universidad de Sta. Isabel GEEL 002
Second Sem., A/Y 2019-2020 Peace Education

THE ARTICLE

PHILIPPINE CHILDREN FACE ABUSE FOR VIOLATING COVID-19 CURFEW

By: Margaret Wurth and Carlos H. Conde of Human Right Watch

(April 3, 2020)

Philippine authorities have subjected children to absurdly abusive treatment for violating
curfew and quarantines rules imposed to limit exposure to COVID-19. ..Police and local officials
in several parts of the country have mistreated people detained for violating COVID-19
regulations, including by confining them to dog cages and forcing them to sit for hours in the
midday sun. Reports shared with Human Rights Watch by child rights groups in Manila show
that children are among those facing cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment for violating
pandemic emergency measures. In Cavite province, two children were locked in a coffin on
March 26 as punishment for violating curfew. On March 20, officials in Santa Cruz town, Laguna
province, locked five young people inside a dog cage. In Binondo, Manila, village officials
arrested four boys and four girls on March 19 for violating curfew. They forcibly cut the hair of
seven of the children while the one who resisted was stripped naked and ordered to walk
home. Even when adults are arrested it can create risks for children. As of March 30, the
authorities had arrested more than 17,000 people for violations of COVID-19 emergency
measures, according to Rappler. In some cases, children’s caregivers have been arrested for
violating COVID-19 regulations. In Tacloban City, a mother was arrested on March 24 for
allowing her children to play outdoors. Things could get worse. On Wednesday, President
Rodrigo Duterte, whose murderous “war on drugs” has killed thousands of people since 2016,
said that his orders to the police and military during the pandemic were “if there is trouble, …
shoot them dead." The Philippines already has a terrible record of criminalizing children, with
members of Congress attempting to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 12, with
some having proposed it to be lowered to 9. If enacted, this could put more and younger
children behind bars in dangerous detention facilities. Human Rights Watch has urged
governments to prioritize the right to health and respect everyone’s human rights as they
respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Locking up people for violating emergency measures such
as curfews and quarantine rules may actually increase disease transmission if people are placed
in close proximity to one another in detention facilities. Children should not face criminal
sanction for violating emergency measures. Philippine authorities should focus on measures
that could actually help stop the spread of COVID-19.