The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has reminded all concerned agencies, the media, and the general public that handling cases involving children requires utmost confidentiality.
The call was made as the DSWD said it has observed many cases involving children being reported in the media with their faces still clearly identifiable.
“In any incident or case involving children, the best interest of the child must always be observed. Actions must always be in accordance with child protection laws. This also applies to those posts and shares about children in social media,” acting DSWD Secretary Virginia Orogo said in a statement on Tuesday.
She said there is an existing Protocol for Case Management of Child Victims of Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation formulated by the Committee on the Special Protection of Children under the Department of Justice, which highlights the importance of utmost confidentiality in handling cases of children in need of special protection.
Orogo has ordered the re-circulation of the Protocol through Administrative Order No.07 series of 2015 or the DSWD Child Protection Policy in the Workplace, within the Department — both at the central office and in all its field offices.
She said the goal is to prompt officials and employees to make sure that confidentiality is not be compromised even as they pursue transparency.
“Handling children’s cases is different because one must exercise good judgment, with bias on the welfare and development of the child,” she added.
Orogo also urged the public to report cases involving children directly to the DSWD or appropriate authorities, instead of making their social media accounts as the “first option in reporting a case,” saying that they “could exploit the child that way.”
“The DSWD understands the good intention behind the posting, but we encourage you to direct your report to the Department’s official social media accounts via direct message, which can be accessed through @dswdserves in Facebook and Twitter,” the secretary added. /ee