Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) is created through Presidential Decree 603 and is mandated to coordinate the implementation and enforcement of all laws, formulate, monitor, and evaluate policies, programs, and measures for children. CWC Executive Director V Mitch Cajayon-Uy states that “as frontliners in protecting and advancing the rights and welfare of children, Local Government Units (LGUs) have a crucial role in ending violence against children through a functional Local Council for the Protection of Children (LCPC) at all levels”.
The 2006 United Nations (UN) World Report on Violence Against Children revealed that about one billion children had experienced severe sexual violence, emotional violence, sexual violence or bullying, or had witnessed violence during the previous year. Of these, almost three-quarters were in Asia. In the Philippines, the results of the 2015 National Baseline Study on Violence against Children (NBS VAC) showed that:
- 3 in 5 children were reported as having experienced any form of physical violence in various settings.
- 3 in 5 children were reported to have experienced some form of psychological violence in any setting.
- 1 in 5 children reportedly suffered some form of sexual violence in any setting.
The NBS VAC motivated the National Network to End Violence Against Children (NNEVAC), a multi-sectoral body led by the CWC, to translate the findings of the study into specific action and results. The Philippine Plan of Action to End Violence Against Children (PPAEVAC) was approved by the Council Board on February 15, 2017 through Resolution No. 1, s. 2017.
The following are the Key Result Areas (KRAs) and Strategies of the PPAEVAC:
KRA 1: Parents and caregivers practice evidence-based parenting and positive discipline.
Key strategies: Promotion of evidence-based, age-appropriate, and gender-responsive Parenting Programme, capacity building, and communication for behavior change.
Lead Agency: Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
KRA 2: Children and adolescents demonstrate personal skills in protecting themselves from violence.
Key strategies: Integration of age-appropriate like skills and personal safety lessons in the curriculum and in communities, capacity building, communication for behavior change, engaging, and mobilizing children and youth.
Lead Agency: Department of Education (DepEd)
KRA 3: All children have access to appropriate and quality protective services.
Key strategies: Development of a comprehensive, multi-sectoral, protective, mental, health, legal, economic, and judicial response plan on VAC, and a structure for its implementation, which includes capacity building, a unified child protection information management system, and a helpline.
Lead Agencies: Department of Justice (DOJ) and DSWD
KRA 4: PPAEVAC M&E framework is effectively in place.
Key strategies: Development of an integrated results-based M&E Mechanism and joint periodic M&E planning
Lead Agencies: CWC and Department of Health (DOH)
KRA 5: All VAC-related laws are in place and are enforced.
Key strategies: Localization of national laws and frameworks, legislative advocacy, and setting up a monitoring mechanism on the implementation of relevant news.
Lead Agency: CWC
KRA 6: Child protection systems at all levels are effectively functioning.
Key strategies: Strengthening the functionality of NNEVAC, mobilization of faith-based organizations, champions, and the private sector, capacity building of LCPCs and LDRRM, and mainstreaming of community-based, school-based, and institutional-based child protection mechanisms.
Lead Agencies: Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and CWC
For related entries, please read Council for the Welfare of Children and Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Situationer and The State of Filipino Children Report 2015: A Safe and Protective Environment for Children.
For more information, please visit www.cwc.gov.ph, www.facebook.com/batabidaka or the official YouTube channel, CWChildrenOfficial.
Council for the Welfare of Children Office Address:
10 Apo St. Bragy. Sta. Teresita, Quezon City 1114, Philippines
Council for the Welfare of Children Contact Numbers:
(632) 740 – 8864 and (632) 781 – 1039 local 1001
Fax Numbers: 740 – 5490 and 740 - 2010
Council for the Welfare of Children Email Address: