GMA is no. 1 child abuser, says youth group
“Arroyo declaring war on child abuse is like Jack-the-Ripper declaring war against crime, or Hitler against racial discrimination, or Marcos leading a crusade against authoritarianism. This is yet another hypocritical stance for an administration which has long turned its back and betrayed the Filipino youth.”
This was the statement made by Kabataan Party president Raymond Palatino after Gloria Arroyo signed Proclamation 1137 declaring “Child Abuse Prevention Year” until October next year.
“How can Mrs. Arroyo speak of protecting Filipino children against abuse when it is implementing policies and programs that continue to deprive millions of young Filipinos of their basic rights to abode, food and education?”
“There are more than five million street children, juvenile delinquents, child prostitutes and laborers today because this government keeps on implementing economic programs that worsen the already bankrupt and pitiful conditions of many Filipino households,” he pointed out.
Palatino said child abuse can’t be prevented if the conditions of poverty, despair and disenfranchisement that breed maltreatment remain unresolved and continue to worsen.
He added that Arroyo’s claim of securing the future of the nation runs contrary to what her government had actually done in the past years.
Citing Ibon’s recent study, he said the per capita government spending on education last year fell 13 percent from its 2001 level. Budget for health and housing, on the other hand, dropped by 24 percent and 29 percent respectively over the same period. These figures pale in comparison to the 35 percent and 174 percent increase in per capita debt servicing for interest payments and for the principal respectively from 2001 to 2005.
He said the Arroyo government has also failed miserably in stopping the unabated tuition and miscellaneous fee hikes especially in the tertiary level, driving thousands of students out of school.
“The lack opportunities for education and decent employment push many young Filipinos to engage in prostitution, drug addiction and other anti-social activities.”
Meanwhile, Palatino said the abuse of economic rights which most young Filipinos and their families continue to suffer at present is even aggravated by the intensified militarization in various parts of the country.
“Many young Filipinos especially in the countryside continue to live in an atmosphere of fear and viciousness as more and more areas in the country are being militarized, displacing thousands of families from their homes and workplace.”
He said this kind of environment and the unresolved spate of political killings not only leave many youth traumatized but also impress distrust, violence and a negative outlook on the value of life and the country’s system of justice in the present generation.
“As long as the conditions of poverty, hopelessness, violence and fear continue to form part of the everyday lives of Filipino households, we will see more cases of Filipino children and youth becoming victims of abuse.”