Bahay Pag-asa centers are meant to reform and rehabilitate children in conflict with the law. The news regarding alleged abuses, mistreatment, and subhuman conditions in Bahay Pag-asa centers is gravely alarming. Shelters that are meant to reform children should be the last place that would further victimize them and cultivate negative behaviors in them.

Children in conflict with the law are victims of circumstances and dark elements in society that take advantage of their vulnerability. Rehabilitation is crucial for their reformation so they can go back to their community and become productive members of society. Their plight must be given priority through the full, genuine, and rigorous implementation of R.A. 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.

There are only 58 operational centers out of the 114 needed nationwide, and only 8 have been accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. The shortage and alleged inhuman conditions and abuses must be addressed expediently. Further, the proposal to lower the minimum age of criminal liability will only worsen these existing problems. We remind again the government to take to heart its duty to uphold the welfare of children through policies and actions that genuinely nurtures their value and potential, uphold their dignity, and help them envision a better future for themselves. ◾️