The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is working closely with the Local Government Unit (LGU) of General Santos City in Region XII for the provision of appropriate interventions to three siblings residing in Purok 5, Barangay Batomelong, who, in a viral Facebook video, were seen being physically abused by their father.

“We were informed of the case by the Child Justice League on Sunday and the video was also sent to our official Facebook page. Our focal person on Children with Special Protection immediately referred the case to our Field Office in Region XII for the rescue of the children,” said Miramel Garcia-Laxa, a Registered Social Worker and the Child and Youth Welfare Specialist of the DSWD-Protective Services Bureau (PSB) in an interview via an external news organization.

According to news reports, the father of the children was the one who shot the video while physically abusing them. He reportedly sent it to his wife, an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) in Kuwait, to force her to return home. The mother of the children then asked a friend, another OFW, to ask help via social media.

DSWD FO XII immediately coordinated with the Local Social Welfare and Development Office (LSWDO) of General Santos for the immediate rescue of the three siblings from their abusive father.

On Monday, law enforcement authorities, together with barangay personnel, staff from the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), and representatives from the media conducted an operation to rescue the abused minors. Two of the children, aged nine and three, were rescued by the authorities and were taken to the General Santos Home for Girls for proper case disposition and intervention, while the third child,  aged six, was taken into custody by a relative.

The father of the children, however,  escaped arrest. The maternal relatives of the siblings are reportedly planning to file charges against him.

“Our Field Office XII, in coordination with the City’s social welfare office, is now contacting the biological mother of the children. We are also reaching out to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) considering that we have a memorandum of agreement with them and with the Department of Justice (DOJ) with regard to the plight of the children of OFWs,” Garcia-Laxa said.

Reporting cases of abuse

According to Garcia-Laxa, the DSWD is encouraging the public to report all cases of child abuse in their communities.

“People in communities usually think of child abuse and domestic violence cases as family problems, so they do not report  them and inhibit themselves from becoming involved. This is quite the wrong attitude to take when it comes to such sensitive cases such as violence in the home,” she explained.

The Child and Youth Welfare Specialist said that reporting cases of abuse is important to efforts to secure the attention of authorities and compel them to respond.

Based on the Protocol for Case Management of Child Victims of Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of the DOJ Committee for the Special Protection of Children, any person may report, either orally or in writing, a case of child abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

The report may be made to the DSWD, social welfare and development offices of the municipality, city, or province, the Commission on Human Rights, the Philippine National Police, or the National Bureau of Investigation.

The public may also report to other law enforcement agencies, the Punong Barangay or tribal leader, Barangay Kagawad, any member of the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC), Barangay help desk person, or to the violence against women (VAW) help desk officer.

The person who, acting in good faith, reports a child abuse case, will be free from any civil or administrative liability. Their protection and anonymity will also be assured. ###