The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) is alarmed over the significant increase in child abuse cases in the city that warrant the implementation of appropriate interventions with the families of the victims and the identified perpetrators.
Assistant City Social and Welfare and Development Officer Cynhtia Langagan disclosed that for the first six months of this year, there were already 96 child abuse cases that were reported in the city compared to the 45 cases that were recorded during the whole year of 2022.
For the children in conflict with the law, Langagan claimed that there were 36 cases that were reported during the first semester of this year compared to the 82 cases that were documented by the CSWDO for the whole year.
On the other hand, for the children at risk, the CSWDO official stated that for the first six months of this year, there were already 15 cases compared to the 43 cases that were reported last year.
According to her, the majority of the children in need of special protection belong to dysfunctional families that is why there is a need for the CSWDO to enhance the local government’s advocacy on family relations.
Langagan stipulated that the local government will be aggressive on organizing fora on strengthening family relations in partnership with the various offices and the barangays to contribute in informing the residents on how to preserve the relations within their families.
She asserted that the results of the case studies of the victims of child abuse prepared by the different unit offices of the CSWDO will serve as a basis for the local government in crafting the appropriate interventions that will be done to be able to reduce the child abuse incidents committed in the city in the coming months.
