Senator Aquino seeks special care for kids hit by calamities

Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino is seeking special care for children affected by calamities, saying they are the most vulnerable and worst affected when disaster strikes.

Aquino said there is a need to revisit existing policies to provide better support to Filipino children during calamities and conflicts in order to help lessen their trauma, restore normalcy to their lives and build their resilience.

There must be a national program to protect children, especially those in high risk areas, he said.

“A national program is crucial in the most vulnerable areas of the country, where the experience of prolonged displacement would have a profound impact on the children’s sense of security, physical and emotional well being,” he said.

“Providing the targeted needs of the Filipino children, specifically during times of distress, ensures the long-term security and health of our nation,” he added.

His bill seeks child-centered training for first responders, teachers, psychologists, and other volunteers in disaster recovery, relief, and rehabilitation.

The training should include psycho-social interventions for children and the youth at different stages of development.

The measure also seeks to require government agencies to provide age-appropriate information about how the agency is responding to a calamity, and to consult affected children about their needs and priorities for post-disaster relief and recovery.

It encourages relevant agencies to provide for meaningful child participation in disaster risk reduction and planning and training.

It further says that when a state of calamity is declared, the police and social welfare department should conduct heightened surveillance to stop child-trafficking, child labor, and prostitution, and domestic and sexual violence.

The bill likewise seeks to make it a policy of the government that after disasters and calamities, unaccompanied children and those who get separated from their families should be documented and provided with adequate care and family tracing and unification services.