OPISYAL nang inalis ang Pilipinas mula sa ‘list of situations of concern’ ngayong 2025.

Ito ang kinumpirma ng United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s 2024 Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict.

Ang report ni UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres ay inilabas noong Hunyo 20.

“It marked a major milestone in the country’s transition from conflict to peace and its expanding leadership in child protection,” ayon sa Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Ang Pilipinas ay unang naisama sa listahan ng annual report noong 2003, sa gitna ng documented cases ng recruitment at paggamit sa mga kabataan ng armadong grupo sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng bansa.

Dahil dito, nagpatupad ang bansa ng mahalaga at napapanatiling ‘on-the-ground reforms’ para i-promote ang mas ligtas na lipunan para sa bawat batang Pilipino. Pinaigting din ang pakikipagtulungan sa UN simula noong November 2024.

Sa kabilang dako, nagpulong naman sina Undersecretary Angelo Tapales ng Council for the Welfare of Children at UN Special Representative of Secretary General Virginia Gamba sa New York noong Marso para ipresenta ang Philippine roadmap at muling pagtibayin ang commitment sa long-term child protection.

Kabilang sa mahahalagang hakbang ang paglikha sa Inter-Agency Committee on Children Involved in Armed Conflict (IAC-CIAC), adopsyon ng 4th National Plan of Action for Children, at implementasyon ng Executive Order 79 na nagsasaad na “institutionalizing the MAKABATA (Mahalin at Kalingain Ating mga Bata) program at Helpline 1383.

“The MAKABATA is a comprehensive, one-stop system designed to address and monitor issues affecting children in need of special protection, with key responsibilities such as receiving all kinds of reports and referring them to relevant agencies like local government units and private sector partners; and provision of psychosocial, medical and legal assistance,” ayon sa ulat.

“The Philippine plans entail developing critical protocols for the handling of CIAC cases, ensuring the continuous support of implementing agencies, and synchronizing the reporting and monitoring mechanisms available to the government to guarantee the protection of children in conflict situations,” ayon pa sa ulat.

Idinagdag pa ng roadmap na ang Pilipinas ay tatayong co-host ng isang international event bago matapos ang taon para ibahagi ang aral na natutunan at best practices, iposisyon ang sarili bilang isang global model para sa child protection sa post-conflict settings.

(CHRISTIAN DALE)