TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Barangay authorities attended a session today on managing children in conflict with the law (CICL) and children at risk (CAR), where the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) made the contention that some youngsters engage in delinquent behavior because they come from dysfunctional families.
Azraa Leigh Accad, CSWDO social welfare officer and the organization’s point person for CICL and CAR, claimed that ineffective parenting is a risk factor that is connected to the city’s issue with juvenile delinquency.
She went on to say that when parents do not provide their kids the love, care, and attention they require, some kids are more likely to engage in illegal acts, such as like larceny or theft.
The social worker revealed that in 2022 and the first quarter of this year, the majority of their CICL and CAR clients came from dysfunctional households, meaning that either their parents have completely abdicated their responsibility or are not giving the kids the care they need.
During the session, Accad point out that families are a child’s first socialization where good values are developed, and that if that family does not fulfill what is necessary, it has negative effects on all aspects of the child’s life leading them to exhibit violent or delinquent behavior at home, inside the classroom, and even in the community.
Because there is less supervision, direction, and punishment from the parents or guardian, she discovered in her work with CICL and CAR that children from single parent households are also more susceptible to being delinquent because of limited supervision, guidance and discipline from the parent or guardian.
The CSWDO is encouraging parents and guardians to fulfill their roles effectively in teaching and guiding their children in the light of the rise in delinquency cases in the city, 30 in the first quarter of the year with theft as the most common offense, as well as the barangays’ strict implementation of child safety and protection ordinances. Schools are also encouraged to do their part to prevent students from acting violently or harming others while in the premises.
City Mayor Darwin Estrañero cited lack of parental involvement, the absence of child-related ordinances in the barangay, and lack of knowledge of RA 9344 (Juvenile Justice Welfare Act) as some of the causes why children engage in criminal behavior during the session which dealt on “Barangay protocol in handling and managing CICLs and CAR.” He suggested taking these things into account to protect kids from becoming delinquents.
