Drivers of violence

against children
Research to Policy and Practice Process
Systematic Literature Review of the Drivers of
Violence against Children

Child Protection Network Foundation

UNICEF
University of the Philippines Manila
University of Edinburgh
Why is violence against children an
urgent concern in the Philippines?
• Baseline survey on National
Objectives of Health (2000) 2,700
adolescents were interviewed: The
overall prevalence of child abuse is
85.9%
• Child abuse cases go largely
unreported
• Data on reports are also
fragmented and inconsistent. For
example:
Cases of children raped reported

• A study in Corporal Punishment Year Department of Philippine

among 9 countries in 2010 Social Welfare and National
revealed that 74% of Filipino Development Police
parents believe and practice 2011 907 3,628
corporal punishment
The Philippine National Baseline Study
on Violence against Children (NBS VAC)
In 2010, The Philippines agreed to
undertake the NBS VAC, after
committing to be a part of the Global The Systematic Literature
Initiative to gather evidence-based
VAC data. Review of the Drivers of
Violence against Children
It is a collaboration between the
compliments the NBS VAC
Philippine Government through the which is currently finalized
Council for the Welfare of Children, to address the
UNICEF, non-governmental recommendations from the
organizations (Consuelo Alger-Zobel
Foundation and Save the Children), peer review.
and the academe (University of the
Philippines).
 Objectives

• Understand what drives VAC

• Research – evidence - interventions
• Guide policymakers/ stakeholders to
interventions/ future research for violence
prevention
 Methodology

149 research studies 89 grey literature, 59 journal

articles/reports - reviewed to identify prevalence of emotional,
physical, sexual abuse
• Secondary analysis of 2014 Philippines Demographic
Health Survey
 THE SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL
FRAMEWORK

VAC is as a socio-ecological phenomenon in which inter-personal

violence is situated within a number of larger contextual factors that
influence individual behaviors.
 Filipino values at play
Filipino culture embodies the
importance of family life
through the collectivist
and interdependent
values that focus on Hiya
nurturing strong
“Shame”
relationships.

“Pagpapahalaga” • a sense of propriety, honor

and dignity
“Appreciation”
• act of courtesy or deference
in order not to offend the
Important value other person a protective
mechanism
 Filipino values at play

Utang na loob Bahala na

“Debt of one’s being” “Whatever…” or similar to saying
“Inshallah”

a deep sense of
appreciation and resilience; courage and
gratitude; act of determination in the
solidarity with the other face of all the odds
 Utang na Loob
• Honor and respect • Facing challenges,
(self and family) sacrificing and
• A good and bearing hardships
honorable person for significant
by showing others
gratitude

Hiya Bahala na

Kapwa
“Other” or “Fellow-being”
Reflects the pervasive orientation and
commitment of the Filipino to the other
 In the context of VAC

Utang na Loob
• Will not disclose • Fatalism
abuse • Expecting • Will suffer and
absolute bear the abuse
obedience to quietly
parents
Hiya Bahala na
 • Single-parent homes
• Increasing early pregnancies
• Increasing rates of HIV
Trends • The increasing numbers of
women in the labor force and
Family structure reliance on their income
in the • Migration orphans
Philippines is • Migrant fathers = nuclear family
changing • Migrant mothers = dependency on
extended family, eldest daughter
takes on more responsibility,
fathers not seen as taking on
“caring” work
 • Filipino parents rated authoritarian
attitudes higher relative to all other
9-countries in a longitudinal study
on parenting
Trends • 74% reported using corporal
punishment
Parental authority
and child
• Mothers are more likely to hold
progressive attitudes such as
obedience in independence and encouragement
traditional and to express themselves
modern values
• Mothers and fathers do not differ in
their authoritarian attitudes
 Trends
Online Life Natural Disasters
• Children are vulnerable to: PNP-WCCPC
• Online abuse
Reported crimes against children
before and after Haiyan
• live streaming of abuse
• child sexual abuse Region 2012 2013 2014
material VI 2396 3934 5827
• Cyberbullying VII 1463 1849 2551
• Sexting VIII 262 362 1201
 Drivers of violence
in the home setting

Absent and Alone

Witnessing parental
• Lack of supervision in the
violence is a driver of
home is a risk factor sexual
violence subsequent violence
• Absent parent/s
in a variety of
relationships for both
• Lack of supervision over sole
male at home males and females
• Domestic violence
• Gender norms
 The drivers of violence
in schools
“Necessary for
control”
Children and adults
“Natural reaction” state that corporal
• Violence perpetrated by punishment in schools
adults in schools, mostly as a is closely linked with
form of discipline, includes violent discipline and
acts of emotional and physical family circumstances in
violence against children the home
• Children accept violence as
part of school discipline
 The drivers of violence
in schools
“Malaswa”
Offensive
• Verbal sexual harassment is the
most common form of sexual
violence
• LGBT youth are vulnerable to
sexual violence in schools
(Limited data, need for further research)
P2Pv
• Children who are seen as
different - individual
characteristics - are at an
increased risk of experiencing
bullying
• Children’s previous experiences of
violence, especially in the home,
are risk factors for bullying
behavior
The drivers of • A risk factor for absence from
violence school, mixed findings on
in the whether education is protective
factor against child labor
community

• Child domestic workers

Child labor predisposed to sexual
harassment, verbal and physical
violence due to long hours of
work and isolation in homes
 • “Children for whom the street is a
The drivers of reference point and has a central
role in their lives”
violence
in the
community • Violence and neglect in the home
are risk factors for children
Street- becoming street-involved
Involved
Children • Once street-involved
• unwanted sexual or physical
violence
• Sexual exploitation
• P2Pv
 Drivers of violence
in the community
Children in Conflict Sexual Violence in
with the Law the Community
• ‘Rescue operations’ put street-
• Neighbors perpetrating sexual
violence against children is
involved children/ CICL at risk
common
of experiencing violence

• The Philippines is the only

• Vulnerable to sexual violence
walking to and from school
East Asia Pacific country that
considered lowering the • presence of rugby boys and
Minimum Age of Criminal tambays
Responsibility (MACR) • general attitude of the
community - tolerance or
indifference to violence and
harassment
 The drivers of violence
in the community
Commercial sexual
exploitation Risk factors
• Displacement due to • Exposure to pornography
armed conflict
• Poverty is a dominant
• Peer influence
factor, compounded by • Culture of silence
cultural, gender and age • Lack of services
norms
• Previous experience of
violence in childhood,
particularly sexual
violence
 Drivers of violence
in the community

ICT-facilitated sexual abuse and online

exploitation of children

• Cyberbullying and • Distribution and

Internet harassment
• Online grooming, cyber
enticement, sexual
solicitation
• Offline sexual abuse
facilitated by the Internet
and social media
production of child abuse
material
• Online commercial sexual
exploitation of children
(e.g., sex tourism, live
streaming of child sexual
abuse)
 The drivers of violence
in the community
Risk factors
• Risky online behavior
• Family/Interpersonal factors
• Lack of parental supervision
• Parental/family involvement
• Problematic families
• Separated parents
• Peer influence
• Internet cafes and Piso-net
• Good command of technology
• English proficiency
• Cultural beliefs and values
(e.g., colonial mentality,
family centeredness)
• Poverty and unemployment
• High demand for WCST
(webcam child sex tourism)
 Drivers of violence
in the community
• Unaccompanied and separated
VIOLENCE AND • Vulnerable before emergency
EXPLOITATION OF • Survivors of sexual violence
CHILDREN WITHIN
EMERGENCY AND
• Displaced
NATURAL • Out of school
DISASTERS • At risk of or already recruited
by armed forces or armed
group
 PNP-WCCPC Report on Crimes against Children Cases from 2012 -
2014 Regions VI, VII, and VIII
2000
18601834
1800

1600

1400

1200
1092
1000

800

600
580
453
400 315
200
39 28 50 4 1 7 9 27 22
0

Rape Incestuous Physical Injuries Neglect RA 9262

Rape
2012 2013 2014
 Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center Report from
2012 – July 2015
200
184
180
162
160 148 144
140

120
100
100 88
80

60 48 46
40
18
20

2012 2013 2014

Physical Violence Sexual Violence Emotional violence/Psychological and others

 • Strengthen Inter-agency
coordination to ensure
implementation of child
protection laws, under one
coordination body
Recommendations • Develop/establish an integrated
inter-agency child protection
CHILD information system
PROTECTION • Ensure functionality of the
SYSTEMS referral pathway on responding
to child abuse, neglect, and
exploitation
• Increase tertiary prevention
(WCPUs) and early intervention
with families impacted by
domestic violence.
 • Promote parenting support
interventions
• Explore alcohol misuse prevention
and brief interventions
• Promote positive social norms
that do not involve violent
Recommendations discipline and discourage
adolescent access to information
VAC in the HOME, on sexual and reproductive health
SCHOOLS AND
COMMUNITY • Support further research on
violence against boys, noting that
service delivery currently focuses
on services for girls/women, and
recognizing that boys may be
equally if not vulnerable to
violence than girls
 • Support legislation that does not
allow corporal punishment in
schools and homes
• Advocate for increasing the age
of sexual consent through multi
sectoral partnerships with the
judiciary, social welfare,
Recommendations education and health sectors.
VAC in the HOME, • Support strengthened
SCHOOLS AND implementation of existing laws
COMMUNITY and policies that protect children
from violence, including those on
Laws and Policy
cybercrime and child
pornography.
• Address the gaps in the judicial
system that causes child abuse
cases to be delayed indefinitely
 • Ensure the implementation of
child protection mechanisms by
developing standardized
monitoring systems
• Pursue regional and global
Recommendations partnerships on CoP particularly
around data management and
VAC in the HOME, development of technical skills as
SCHOOLS AND well as building partnerships in
COMMUNITY private sector
EMERGING ISSUES • Support efforts to tackle
increasing threat of HIV
infections amongst adolescents,
noting that MSM accounts for
high% of cases
SALAMAT PO!

Questions?