Nababahala ang National Authority for Child Care (NACC) ukol sa sinasabing “orphan crisis” dahil 5,875 bata sa kasalukuyan ang nasa pangangalaga ng Child Caring Agencies (CCAs) at Residential Care Facilities (RCFs) sa buong bansa.
Nabatid na hanggang noong nakaraang Disyembre, 1,369 bata ang sumasailalim sa ‘adoption process.’
Ngunit kasabay nito ang panawagan ni Usec. Janella Estrada, executive director ng National Authority for Child Care (NACC) ng lubos na pag-intindi sa mga magulang.
“Let us not castigate the parents especially the mothers of these children. Rather, it is our job to look into the reasons why mothers have to abandon their young one(s),” aniya.
Dagdag paliwanag pa niya: “A mother who abandons her child(ren) is desperate to ensure that her young lives. Such parent is either a victim of domestic violence, suffering from substance addiction, an adolescent mother aged 19 years old or younger, one who does not have means and resources to raise a child, and for many more reasons, they just have to do it.”
Nabanggit ni Estrada na may 12,543 at 16,966 napaulat na kaso ng pang-aabuso at karahasan sa mga babae at bata.
“The numbers tell us that amidst an era of women empowerment, violence and abuse against women and children continues to weave into our very social fabric. They are physically and/or sexually abused, chastised, neglected and left to fend for their own survival,” paliwanag pa nito.
Ipinunto pa niya na halost 10.3 ng panganganak noong 2020 ay mula sa mga nanay na nasa 15 hanggang 19. Sa 1,528,684 l ipinaganak nong 2022, 157,060 ay mula sa mga menor de edad na nanay.
“All those lead us to the basic yet structural issues: access to education, healthcare, decent jobs and livelihood opportunities. These are components for economic freedom that prevents a woman from settling for indignity and removes her from a situation where her life and that of her child is at stake,” sabi pa nito.