BAGUIO CITY – The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) formally launched the hotlines for psychosocial support, protection and shelter to assist individuals in crisis, especially those in need of emotional support, safety and temporary shelter.
Assistant City Social Welfare and Development Officer Cynthia Langagan said that the hotlines where individuals in crisis could seek the necessary assistance are 0967-208-4777 and 0951-750-5039.
She claimed that the hotlines have been designed as a one-stop system where the public can report incidents of violence and access support and assistance.
Initially, Langagan pointed out that it was a primary helpline intended to be a ‘Makabata’ hotline that will cater to all children’s concerns, encompassing all kinds of children’s rights violations like those enumerated under the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) 11930 or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM)) Act.
“We figured, however, that there are so many social concerns, ranging not only violence against children but also trafficking, abuse against women, neglect of senior citizens and so forth. Thus, we expanded the coverage and services of the hotlines to address and protect any form of rights violations through immediate coordination and prevention measures,” Langagan stressed.
She asserted that the hotline is open to all who are experiencing distress, abuse, or displacement and require immediate assistance.
According to her, though the city has the Smart Command Center, the expanded CSWDO hotline will complement existing hotlines and that they are not in competition with other existing hotlines or helplines but they are offering their services to answer queries about children, women, and other marginalized sectors’ rights and their violations and to provide immediate intervention or referral to proper government agencies or non-government organizations.
Moreover, she underscored that the hotlines aim to make referral and intervention processes easier and accessible for the CSWDO’s clientele groups.
The CSWDO official assured that the hotlines will operate round the clock and will be managed by well-trained psychosocial support staff where all concerns received shall be immediately acted upon or refer cases to concerned instrumentalities in a network of cooperation and collaboration.
The CSWDO is mandated to formulate, develop, and implement plans, programs and projects on social welfare and development aimed at providing assistance to vulnerable members of the society. By Dexter A. See
