CHILDREN HELPLINE. No child deserves to be silenced, abused or exploited, says Council for the Welfare of Children Executive Director Undersecretary Angelo Tapales during a press conference on Friday (Oct. 20, 2023) in Quezon City. Tapales said the CWC seeks to make the Makabata Helpline 1383 the focal and apex helpline for all children concerns nationwide. (Screengrab from press conference)
MANILA – The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) has expanded the coverage and services of its helpline to address a variety of children's concerns.
The Mahalin at Kalingain ang ating mga Bata (Makabata) helpline 1383, launched on Nov. 3 last year, is based on Republic Act 11188 or An Act Providing for the Special Protection of Children in Situations of Armed Conflict and Providing Penalties for Violations.
From monitoring concerns of children in armed conflict situations, the helpline now also addresses other children's issues.
"We figured that there are so many children's concerns, ranging from mental health concerns, bullying, violence against children, online and offline sexual abuse, trafficking, rape and acts of lasciviousness," CWC Executive Director Undersecretary Angelo Tapales said in a press conference on Friday.
The CWC is an attached agency of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
"So, at the CWC, we thought of expanding the coverage of the Makabata Helpline to protect children and their families against any child rights violations through immediate coordination and prevention measures."
Citing that the private sector has its own Bantay Bata helpline, Tapales said the CWC seeks to make the Makabata Helpline 1383 the focal and apex helpline for all children concerns nationwide.
"Makabata Helpline 1383 is here to complement existing hotlines and helplines in the country. We are not rivaling any existing hotline or helpline," he said.
In 2020, a total of 6,621 cases of child rights violations were reported to the Women and Children Protection Units in 82 provinces during the lockdown. The number of cases increased to 8,637 in 2021 and 8,948 in 2022.
The Makabata helpline received 250 reports via texts, calls, emails and chats from Nov. 3, 2022 to Oct. 2023.
Of the tally, about 102 cases are closed, 44 are pending with limited traction and 61 are ongoing.
A real-time monitoring system is used on the cases and cases are closed only when interventions have been provided, Tapales said.
Children, parents, guardians, people with legal custody of children and concerned citizens are encouraged to report physical, verbal, sexual, emotional, exploitation, neglect and discrimination abuses through Makabata helpline 1383.
The helpline has formed partnerships with national government agencies, non-government agencies (NGAs) and non-government organizations through 15 memoranda of understanding.
It answers callers' queries about children's rights and their violations, provides referral to proper government agencies and organizations for interventions and responds to emergencies with the help of the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Tapales said the launch of the Makabata helpline 1383 in the National Capital Region is set on Oct. 21. (PNA)
