The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has called for urgent government action after documenting serious child protection gaps and substandard conditions in several juvenile detention and rehabilitation facilities, warning that these violate national law and international child rights standards.

In a situation report released on April 7, the CHR cited findings from its nationwide monitoring of Bahay Pag-asa (BPA) facilities, including violence during apprehension, ill-treatment by personnel, jail-like facility conditions, poor living environments, delays in case disposition, limited access to healthcare and education, restricted family visitation, and shortages in staff and resources.

The Commission said these conditions undermine the implementation of Republic Act No. 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, which mandates a child-sensitive justice system for children in conflict with the law (CICL).

“These conditions violate not only RA 9344 but also Article XV of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, which requires the State to ensure that children receive proper care, nutrition, and protection from abuse and neglect,” the CHR said.

The report also found inconsistencies with the Philippines’ obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), particularly Article 40, which requires that children be treated in a manner consistent with their dignity and worth. 

According to the CHR, some CICL reported being treated as criminals during arrest and detention, including accounts of physical abuse by authorities.

In response, the CHR recommended reforms such as adopting child-sensitive visitation policies, hiring more social workers and specialists, ensuring adequate funding, enforcing child-friendly standards, improving sanitation, providing regular training for personnel, prohibiting violence, and strengthening accountability mechanisms across all facilities.

“The Commission emphasizes that treating CICLs in a harsh and dehumanising manner deepens stigma and makes it harder for them to change and rebuild their lives,” the report stated.

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