To address child abuse and promote child safety, the Department of Education (DepEd) opened its Learner Rights and Protection Office (LRPO) and Telesafe Contact Center Helpline.
Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte announced at the culmination activity of the National Children’s Month that child abuse cases from 2019 to 2020 hit 1,871.
But, with the Helpline and LRPO, she expects the numbers to significantly rise “because there’s already an avenue where the learners can report,” Inquirer reported.
Because children as young as 4 are incapable of distinguishing between "right and wrong touching," Duterte cited the need for educational modules to teach them how to recognize violence, exploitation, and sexual abuse.
“In cases of sexual violence, victims would rather suffer in silence, endure the abuse and hope it stops. They choose to suffer in silence because of fear of being shamed, fear for their security and of their loved ones, or fear of being blamed by other family members for breaking the family,” she said, which she wants to change.
Learners can contact the LRPO via email at eprotectlearners@deped.gov.ph or call 8637-2306, 8632-1372, or contact: 0945-1759777.
“The Helpline will also address victims’ concerns, such as a backlash, victim shaming or harsh physical punishment,” Duterte said.
She lamented how people repudiated her stand on professionalism, contained in DepEd Order No. 49 which urged educators to observe professional conduct in their interactions.
“If you are a teacher, you have no business drinking alcohol with your students. And if you are a teacher attracted to a student you are drinking with, that is preliminaries to what you want to do to the child,” she explained.
She reminded teachers to be professional in “dispensing service to these students who are your clients.”
In partnership with the Stairway Foundation Inc. and Child Protection Network, the LRPO of the DepEd, formerly known as the Child Protection Unit, will launch podcasts, videocasts, and e-learning courses.
“DepEd will teach learners to know about safety threats, how to respond to the threats, and to whom they should call or communicate when threats happen,” Duterte noted.
In line with this, DepEd suspended the five teachers from Bacoor National High School in Cavite last September for grave misconduct and violating the school's child protection policy as shown in a social media post that accused them of inappropriate behavior toward students and alleged sexual exploitation.