My Reflection on Republic Act 7610

(Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation

and Discrimination Act)
JUNITO C. COMEROS, Ph.D.- EdMgt 2 Student

I learned that in RA 7610, the best interest of the child shall be of paramount
consideration. The State shall intervene on behalf of the child when the parent, guardian,
teacher or person having care or custody of the child, or fails or unable to protect the child
against abuse, exploitation and discrimination. Moreover, it shall be the policy of the State
to protect and rehabilitate children gravely threatened or endangered by circumstances
which affect or will affect their survival and normal development.
Child abuse has been defined in this act. Accordingly, it refers to the maltreatment,
whether habitual or not, of the child which includes any of the following: (1) Psychological
and physical abuse, neglect, cruelty, sexual abuse and emotional maltreatment; (2) Any act
by deeds or words which debases, degrades or demeans the intrinsic worth and dignity of a
child as a human being; (3) Unreasonable deprivation of his basic needs for survival, such
as food and shelter; or (4) Failure to immediately give medical treatment to an injured child
resulting in serious impairment of his growth and development or in his permanent
incapacity or death.
Specified in this act is a comprehensive program formulated by the Department of
Justice and the Department of Social Welfare and Development in coordination with other
government agencies and private sector concerned, to protect children against child
prostitution and other sexual abuse; child trafficking, obscene publications and indecent
shows; other acts of abuse; and circumstances which endanger child survival and normal
development.
It is likewise acknowledged in this act that children are zones of peace and it shall be
the responsibility of the State and all other sectors concerned to resolve armed conflicts in
order to promote the goal of children as zones of peace. To attain this objective, the
following policies shall be observed: (a) Children shall not be the object of attack and shall
be entitled to special respect. They shall be protected from any form of threat, assault,
torture or other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment; (b) Children shall not be recruited
to become members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines of its civilian units or other
armed groups, nor be allowed to take part in the fighting, or used as guides, couriers, or
spies; (c) Delivery of basic social services such as education, primary health and
emergency relief services shall be kept unhampered; (d) The safety and protection of those
who provide services including those involved in fact-finding missions from both government
and non-government institutions shall be ensured. They shall not be subjected to undue
harassment in the performance of their work.
Included in this act are examples of acts of abuse, exploitation and discrimination
and their corresponding penalties, sanctions for establishments and enterprises, the
remedial procedures, the common penal provisions, and the final provisions.
I realized that child abuse is considered as one of the most heinous forms of abuse.
It is described as any type of inappropriate behavior and harassment which may be
emotional, sexual or physical that may cause mental and physical distress, harm and
disturbance to children. Hence, our government is doing its best to protect the lives of the
young children by coming up with this Republic Act 7610. The State created this policy in
order to provide special protection to children from all forms of abuse, neglect, cruelty
exploitation and discrimination and other conditions, prejudicial their development; provide
sanctions for their commission and carry out a program for prevention and deterrence of
and crisis intervention in situations of child abuse, exploitation and discrimination. It has
been the goal of our government that every effort shall be exerted to promote the welfare of
children and enhance their opportunities for a useful and happy life.
As a teacher, I play an essential role in the prevention of child abuse and neglect.
According to www.childwelfare.gov, educators are invaluable to this cause because of our
close and consistent contact with children, our unique opportunity to advocate for children,
and our legal obligation to report suspicions of abuse. Hence, I will demonstrate that a
positive relationship with a supportive adult like me can promote resiliency in children who
have been victims of abuse. I can be a positive role model and can give students
opportunities for participation that can increase self-esteem. Moreover, in building strong,
trusting relationships with students, I can promote effective communication, which is one of
the most important components of child abuse prevention. In order to make the world
around us peaceful and a safe place to be lived and to be proud of, I have to take care of
the children with best of my ability and with utmost efficiency and strongly oppose, protest
and fight against child abuse and also the abusers.