ASP Consulted on Child Protection Workshop

By Cricel B. Elises, ASP Administrative Assistant

ASP was invited to attend in the Consultation Workshop on the Draft “Policies and Guidelines on Protecting Children in School from Abuse, Violence, Exploitation and Discrimination” headed by Atty. Alberto T. Muyot, Undersecretary of Department of Education last November 18, 2011 at the Bulwagan ng Karunungan, Department of Education Complex.

Atty. Alberto T. Muyot, Undersecretary of the Department of Education during his talk

The workshop aims to scrutinize, dissect the policies and guidelines so that will come up with agreement that will addresses all the concerns of the following 129 participants Teacher’s Organizations, Parents, Students, Administrators, Supervisors, Superintendents, Regional Directors, Central Office Official, CWC, Local Government Units, NGO’s and Religious Organizations.

In the morning Dr. Bernadette Madrid discussed the “Developmental Risk and Protective Factors in Child Abuse and Neglect and the Role of Educators.” She discussed Different Stages of Child’s Development, Nature work with Nurture and Toxic Stress Damages Brain Structure.

Dr. Madrid emphasized the importance of taking care of our child from the time they conceived inside our body up to their birth. It already affects the child developments and later will manifest when they are growing up, for instance a mother who smoke and drink while she’s pregnant it already affects the development of a child inside her womb. She said that from ages 1 – 5 years old is the crucial stage for a child development. In this stages we already foresee what he will may became reasons why we have to correct them whenever they showed inappropriate behaviors.

“The experience of childhood is not like a footprint in the sand it is a foot print in cement – long lasting.”

Dr. Violeta Bautista talked about “Bullying”– is a destructive pattern of interaction in school. She cited different situations teenagers experienced when someone bullying them. She also discussed things that parents, teacher’s needs to do to help them cope up.

Ms. Wilma Bañaga discussed “Positive and Non-violent Discipline” is an approach seeking to immediately correct the behavior of a child, to teach a lesson, to give tools that build self-discipline and emotional control, and to build a good relationship with the child by understanding the child’s needs and capabilities at various age and the behavior that is usual for a child at each stage of development.

Participants during workshops.

In the afternoon participants are divided into four groups. Each group has given 2 hours to scrutinize the “Policies and Guidelines on Protecting Children in School from Abuse, Violence, Exploitation and Discrimination”. Each group are tasked to analyze, gather feedback's, recommendations and inputs from the all education stakeholders on the draft Department Policies and Guidelines on the Protection of Children in School from Abuse, Violence, Exploitation and Discrimination,” before the same are promulgated and implemented. Outputs, findings, conclusions and actions plans resulting from the workshop will be part of the Policies and Guidelines.

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