Facts and Figures

Child Abuse:
A SILENT EPIDEMIC*

In the Philippines, our children are our most precious national asset and their numbers are growing. There are 36.3 million Filipinos who are 19 years old and below (NSO 2000). Yet no group of Filipinos faces more hazards than do our children. In excess of a million and a half children are estimated to live on the streets, begging for food and often engaging in criminal activity. More than three and a half million children from 5 to 17 work under often-grueling conditions, in spite of legislation outlawing child labor.

Although we have reliable information on a number of the hazards facing our children today, the data surrounding the prevalence of child abuse and neglect are widely viewed as underestimates as they merely reflect reported and validated cases of abuse. A survey of the DSWD data through the years reflects a sudden increase in their number of clients probably as a result of increased recognition and reporting in the community. The children in this survey were victims of physical abuse, neglect, with majority reporting sexual abuse and sexual exploitation.

Number of Child Abuse Cases Served by DSWD 1998 to 2002

The number of abused children reported to agencies or receiving services reflects merely the very tip of the iceberg of the child abuse problem in the Philippines. To illustrate, compare the numbers on the left with the results of a community-based survey to determine the prevalence of child abuse. In this population-based study commissioned by the Philippine Department of Health for its Baseline Survey for National Health Objectives (BSNOH) Project in 2000, sealed questionnaires were distributed to adolescents in randomly sampled urban and rural provinces. In a country with a total population of 70 million, and almost 40% of the population below 20 years old, the resulting figures are astoundingly high compared to the number of children actually served.

Prevalence of violence, abuse and neglect in adolescence
By Gender, Urban-Rural, Philippines 2000 (BSNOH)

ADOLESCENTS
(n=2704)

TOTAL IN PERCENT

MALE IN PERCENT (n=1348)

FEMALE IN PERCENT (n=1356)

Lifetime Abuse	85.9	86.6	85.2
HISTORY OF CHILD ABUSE
Psychological	59.7	65.7	54.5
Physical	82.9	73.7	81.0
Sexual Molestation	11.9	12.8	11.2
Forced Sex/Rape	1.8	3.5	0.2
Neglect	5.4	3.3	7.3
CURRENT ABUSE
Psychological	59.7	65.7	54.5
Physical	82.9	73.7	81.0
Sexual Molestation	11.9	12.8	11.2
Forced Sex/Rape	1.8	3.5	0.2
Neglect	5.4	3.3	7.3

Experts agree that while community-based surveys may approach the true prevalence of child abuse better than the figures from service providers, these statistics remain underestimates.

International child abuse research demonstrates strong correlations between child maltreatment and other socioeconomic phenomena, such as poverty, drug addiction, spousal abuse and street children. The prevalence of these phenomena in the Philippines gives us reason to believe that we are just scratching the surface of the child abuse epidemic.

_________________________

*Excerpted from the UP-PGH Child Protection Unit Annual Report 2003

National Situation:

Infant mortality rate is pegged at 42.73 per 1,000 live births (Department of Health, 1 September 1999).
28% of children under age 5 are severely and moderately underweight based on international standards (World Summit Goals for Children, 1998).
49% of the total population of infants and 26% of the total population of children with ages ranging from 1 - 6 years old suffer from iron-deficiency anemia.
There is one (1) hospital for every 113,040 people. There is only 1 doctor for every 24, 417 people; 1 nurse for every 22,309; 1 dentist for every 578,124; and, 1 midwife for every 722,654 people (Philippine Yearbook of Statistics).
More than half of the over 42,000 barangays in the country do not have provisions for a pre-school. Only 19% of children aged 4 to 6 years old are able to go to public and private pre-schools.
More than 1/3 of the more than 42,000 barangays in the country could not offer the required six years of elementary education.
Sixty percent of the children drop out of school when they reach the second grade (PDI, 18 May 1997).
Sixty-one towns in the country do not have a high school.
It is estimated that there are about five million child laborers in the country (UNICEF 1995). Two-thirds of them are found in the rural areas.
There are 1.5 million streetchildren. DSWD estimates that this number increases annually by 6,365.
Of the 1.5 million streetchildren, 60,000 are prostituted (ECPAT 1996). The DSWD claims that the annual average increase of prostituted children is 3,266. The Philippines is the fourth country with the most number of prostituted children (Intersect, December 1995).
Research studies conducted in schools show that for every 3 Filipino children, one child experiences abuse (Manila Bulletin, 11 February 1996). During the first semester of 1999 alone, there were 2,393 children who fell prey to rape, attempted rape, incest, acts of lasciviousness and prostitution (DSWD 1st semester, CY 1999).

The statistics are growing each day. These clearly depict the immense hardship which Filipino children are subjected to. Unfortunately, the family that is supposedly the primary source of the children's sense of trust and security is itself beleaguered. In most instances, it can no longer adequately provide even the children's most basic needs like food, education, housing, and an atmosphere of love, affection and nurturance. Its capacity to protect the children and enhance their development and participation rights is likewise affected.

Other Sources