“Contemporary challenges in out-of-home care”
Day of General Discussion
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
16 September 2005
“children without parental care”
submitted by SOS Children’s Villages Philippines (SOS CV Manila)
Introduction
Adopted by the UN General Assembly on November 20, 1989 and coming
into force as an international treaty in September 1990 upon ratification by twenty
State-Parties, the Convention on the Rights of the Child was ratified by the
Philippines as the 31st country on the 26th of July 1990; the fifth in Asia.1 It is in this
light, that the work of SOS Children’s Villages in the Philippines, and the
implementation of its pedagogical precepts, is very much anchored on.
SOS Children’s Village – Manila is one of the seven villages in the
Philippines, other villages are located in Lipa, Tacloban, Calbayog, Cebu, Davao and
Zarraga, Iloilo. At the onset of this new millennium, SOS Children’s Villages all over
the world strengthen its commitment to provide children without parental care2 a
home that best meet their needs.3 The standards set by the SOS Children’s Villages
Manual are being practiced, giving full considerations to the Rights of the Child.
SOS Children’s Villages is responding to today challenges by providing family-based
child care to children in need and by working with families and communities to
prevent abandonment and neglect of children.
Child abandonment and economic reasons for placement
Despite the State’s declaration to “promote and protect the child’s physical, moral,
spiritual, intellectual and social well being.”4 and other complementary legislations,5
increasing numbers of children are being referred to SOS Children’s Villages, either
from government’s agencies or from non-governmental institutions that offer only
short-term programs.
1
Mainstreaming Child Rights (Child 21), UNICEF, Manila 2004
Term used for all children not living with and being cared for by their biological parents, for whatever reason and in whatever
circumstances.
3
SOS Children’s Village Manual, August 1, 2003
4
Philippine Constitution, Art. II, Sec.13
5
RA 7610 – Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, etc., RA 7658 – Anti-Child Labor Law, RA 8353 – Anti-Rape
Act, PD 603 – Child and Youth Welfare Code, RA 7877 – Anti-Sexual Harassment Act, RA 6955 – Anti-Mail Order Bride Act
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In SOS Children’s Village Manila, located in a highly urbanized area, only 35% of the
children in care are orphans; about 45 % of children are abandoned and neglected by
their parents, and 15% are born out of wedlock and their mothers are in their teen-age
years or unmarried and with no means of survival6. From economic woes to outright
collapse of families, there is a worrying trend that more and more children are left to
government’s social services and to non-governmental child-care agencies.
The high mark of child neglect and abandonment reflects the general economic
atmosphere of the country where poverty rate is increasing. By sheer poverty and lack
of permanent employment, more families fail to sustain their needs and the needs of
their children. In fact, thirty-three percent (33%) of the fifteen million Filipino
families are at risk or live below the poverty threshold.7 Single orphans and children
of unmarried mothers face a similar dilemma; insufficient livelihood and care neglect
of a working parent are frequent. Out-of-home care placement is often perceived by
these families as a “solution” and way of “survival” for their children.
There is a need for more social support services provided by the state and
communities to families at risk so to prevent the abandonment of children.
Child abuse
Cases of emotional, physical and sexual abuse are a main underlying reason why
children are being removed by the state or its duly accredited agencies, and the same
are being referred to an SOS Children’s Village. Most of the child-abusers are person
known or being trusted by the child – he can be a family member or a relative,
neighbor, friend, babysitter, teacher, a child-care professional or any adult that has a
moral ascendancy to the child. An abuser may also be a stranger to the child.8 Study
shows that most child abusers have been victims of child abuse themselves. Other
factors why parents or adults abuse children are predisposition toward maltreatment,
emotional immaturity, economic and marital stresses, lack of constructive outlets for
tensions, result of mental disturbance, incest, and most common, when adults or
parents are under the influence of alcohol and prohibited drugs.
Better analysis of causes is needed and related prevention measures and legislation to
be developed.
Temporary care and serial placements
Most of the children experienced two or more temporary out-of-home care
placements before they were admitted to SOS Children’s Villages. Agencies that
provide temporary care usually advocate foster or adoptive family programs. Longterm placement is viewed a priori skeptical, in reality often due to lack of sufficient
and sustainable funding for out-of-home care. A child is often moved from one
6
1988-2005, CV Statistics on Children & Youth, SOS Manila Pedagogical Team.
NEDA Family Income and Expenditure Survey 2002
8
Special Protection of Filipino Children RA 7610 and 7658
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temporary care placement to another. Only in cases, where no foster family is
accepting the child, he/she is already staying longer in care or growing older, or no
temporary care placement can be found; the child is referred to SOS Children’s
Villages family-based care. This serial placement strategy has an enormous negative
effect on the well-being of the child and triggers their deep distrust and disbelief in
long-term relationships. They felt rejected and being used as charity objects. It takes
an enormous process for the SOS family and siblings to restore their confidence in
relations; create a sense of belonging and develop a lasting bond with these children.
Children without parental care are being burdened with a lot of physical and
emotional wounds. Since its healing is a long and enduring process, temporary out-ofhome care placement increases their vulnerability. A serious concern is also the risk
of child rights violation due to lack of monitoring of such temporary placements.
Lack of birth registration
About 20 – 30% of the Filipino children are unregistered or have no birth registration.
Poor parents gave birth mostly in their homes and fail to register their newborn child
due to lack of money. Causes also include mere ignorance of the parents about the
need of birth registration. For this reason, some children admitted into care possess
simulated birth certificates or have on their certificates erroneous entries. These
impacts negatively to their sense of identity, and is an obstacle to their later
integration. During the admission process, a thorough review of pertinent papers
relative to the person of the child is being done and partnership with the local Civil
Registry Offices is being established.
The need for standards in out-of-home child care
In an SOS Children’s Village, each child is given an opportunity to actively
participate in any actions and decisions relative to their persons, depending on their
age or maturity, during their admission process up to the time they will be living
autonomously or can be reunited with their biological families where possible.
Children participate in every aspects of their family life, from simple household
chores to issues concerning their education. During village developmental activities,
children are deeply involved in the planning and implementation of different activities
ranging from sports, culture and arts, spiritual, and to those that pertains to education.
Biological or filial roots of the child are being traced by social workers and reestablished for those children who were abandoned or neglected, and those who are
considered “findlings”9, so that regular contact between the child and his/her
biological family be maintained, depending on the best interest of the child.10
Quality standards in out-of-home child care are assured through implementation and
monitoring of SOS Children’s Village standards, based on the rights of the child as
9
Those children whose parents are unknown and no proper documentations have been presented and proved. A Foundling
Certificate is usually being issued by the Local Civil Registry.
10
Article 9 par. 3 UNCRC
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enshrined by the UNCRC. Standards assure that these rights are not only respected,
but actually lived and experienced by them.
Mothers and Village staff in SOS Children’s Villages undergoes regular seminars and
trainings to ensure that they are competent and professionally responsive to the needs
of the children and also to provide the necessary protection to the children.
There is an apparent need for tackle the above mentioned issues in discussing and
establishing international guidelines and standards for out-of-home child care to
guarantee that all children in care are protected and supported as best as possible
according the UNCRC.
Project Director N. Leyson
With Pedagogical Team of SOS CV Manila
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