BAGUIO CITY – The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) reported that there were some forty-six children at risk, which is lower than the fifty three cases that were documented the previous year.
CSWD Officer Liza Bulayungan said that a child is at risk and not a child in conflict with the law if he or she violates local ordinances concerning juvenile status offenses, light offenses and misdemeanors against public order or safety and offenses not applicable to children and exempt them from prosecution.
Further, a child at risk are children who are vulnerable or at risk of behaving in a way that can harm themselves or others, or vulnerable and at risk of being pushed and exploited to come into conflict with the law because of personal, family and social circumstances.
Parental disobedience and curfew accounted for 14 cases each followed by stowing away and using of vape in public places or schools with 7 cases each, selling eco bags at the market – 2 and mendicancy or begging money and violation of anti-peddling – 1 each.
In 2022, there were 43 children at risk cases that were reported in the city before it increased to 53 cases and dropped to 46 cases last year.
She disclosed that 35 of the children at risk cases are males which is equivalent to 78 percent while 11 are females or 22 percent.
30 of the children at risk belong to the 12-16 years old age category, 11 belong to the 16-17 years old age category, 3 belong to the 9 to 11 years old age category and 1 belong to the above 17 years old age category.
42 of the children at risk are undergoing interventions from the CSWDO, 3 are subjected to the community-based intervention program and 1 was turned over to family.
Bulayungan said that the city’s barangays that recorded children at risk cases are Sto. Nino Slaughter house with 10 mostly on curfew followed by Irisan with 7 mostly on parental disobedience, Gabriela Silang – 5 mostly on parental disobedience, and Bakakeng Central – 4 on curfew.
In 2022, the top three cases of children at risk are those at risk of neglect or abuse followed by parental disobedience and stow away; in 2023, the top three cases of children at risk are parental disobedience, those at risk of neglect or abuse and stow away while last year, the cases for children at risk are those involved in parental disobedience, curfew and stow away. By Dexter A. See