Filipino children in prison, appeal to US Congress Part 2
(republishing, copying, no restrictions)
By: Father Shay Cullen
The general reason or excuse as to why the children are subjected to such sub-human conditions is that there is no money for children's homes to provide therapy, rehabilitation and education for children in conflict with the law. However this is far from reality as government officials have announced huge spending on city beautification projects and other infrastructure projects that are less important and urgent than the plight of thousands of children behind bars. It is a matter of what the officials think or consider being the priority of good governance, the protection of the rights of abused and suffering children or self-promotion and enrichment projects.
The Philippines is among the richest nations in Asia but only 2% of the population of 85 million own or control 70% of the national wealth. The ruling elite also control the political process and the government itself. Inequality, unjust foreign debt and corruption have caused thousands of children to be left abandoned. The Department of Social Welfare and Development estimates that 70,000 children are living on the streets of Metro Manila partially or fulltime. As many as 1.2 million are working children throughout the country.
In recent weeks I found the same if not worse conditions of children mixed in with criminals and rapists in filthy, disease-infested prison cells that are no better than medieval dungeons. Here the children are crammed into hot humid overcrowded cells where bodies lie on bodies in a shocking tangle of humanity, all struggling to remain sane and alive in conditions where disease such as TB, HIV-AIDS, scabies and hepatitis are prevalent. Children don't have a chance and are physically and psychologically scarred for life.
Sub-human conditions; attempted
suicide
There is no room in many cells for all to sleep together, some stand
while others lie down on the hard concrete floor. Insects, mosquitoes,
cockroaches and even rats have to be endured. The children live in
constant fear and terror of being beaten, abused and raped by the adult
criminals. Some slash their wrists to escape the wretchedness and
hopelessness of their lives. They receive no medical or dental treatment
other than occasional charitable organizations can provide. There is no
regular outdoor recreation, schooling or exercise.
Visits are strictly limited and active legal assistance is not existent other than what the charities can provide. Social workers are banned from visiting the cells for fear of witnessing the inhumane conditions or the presence of adults.
The only relief from the sticky, oven-like humidity is electric fans, which we provide, and a TV. To ease their pain and danger of getting raging blisters and infected boils we are distributing mattresses to some jails. The food allowance for each inmate is the equivalent of .25 cents a day. They eat what the children describe as pig slop, usually scooped by hand from common pot and as the weakest, they get the least. Providing vitamin supplements is useless as these are taken from them by the adult prisoners before they can even swallow them.
One 14 year old boy, Mark, reports he was attacked by a mentally deranged prisoner and beaten to the point of semi-conscious. Another described how he had to fight off the pedophiles and rapists that prey on the young boys. There are small wooden cubicle in the cells where the young boys and brought and forced to perform oral sex on the adults and others are gang raped. Each cell is ruled by a mayor, or cell boss and his word is law. The minors must obey like slaves, provide services to the adults, massaging, rubbing, and easing their sexual needs .They clean the sometimes single toilet hole and empty the buckets of urine that serve as a toilet in some cells.
Visits curtailed, cell visits
banned
Instead of allowing Preda social workers to visit the jail cells to
see the health and condition of the children we are banned and prevented
from entering the cells. It is an order from higher authorities we are
told, by whom we don't know. The use of an abandoned building in
Zambales for a children's home has not been approved to date. [End]
