BPA: Providing CICL a home away from home
It is a distressing situation when they are arrested for criminal acts, but for Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL), being away from home and being in an unfamiliar place is even more disturbing. In this desperate situation, there is still a glimmer of hope, because the city government is always in the spotlight-giving this CICL a home, even if they are not at home through the Bahay PagAsa (BPA).
For Social Worker Officer I Vevien V. Salomeo, RSW, being a case worker is more than a job with the help of a few house parents. As a house parent, part of their goal is to prepare the CICL prior to their family and community integration. To achieve this goal, a CICL must go through a comprehensive “wholistic” transformation and ensure its biopsychosocial functioning. Various individual and group therapeutic activities are carried out within the center to help them become a more responsible and efficient member of the community. Also, the center ensures educational success by enrolling them in the Alternative Learning System (ALS) or other formal classes if necessary.
Like the role of parents in raising and preparing children for adulthood, one aspect that evolves in the overall length of their rehabilitation is the development of the client’s productivity and the ability to make a living to help them and their families become financially and economically stable.
Clients can acquire life skills such as art crafts and planting bonsai trees. Through partnership with religious sectors, CICL has the opportunity to reconnect and have a relationship with their Creator through regular bible studies. “Before the child reintegrates into the family, we make sure that the client regrets and reflects on the consequences of the crime”, Salomeo said in an interview.
Meanwhile, some non-governmental organizations visit the center to conduct an outreach program. Daily rehabilitation activities are carried out at the center so that the client becomes more productive, interactive and responsible.
On the other hand, the Covid-19 pandemic could be linked to the drop in the number of CICL cases in the City of Koronadal, according to Salomeo. Data shows that from April up to the present, only two CICL cases entered their office with robbery charges. “Now that there is a pandemic, mostly young people are staying in their homes and parents can see what they are doing. Guidance and discipline are really big factors. Young people today are aware that even if they are minors, if they commit crimes, they can be prosecuted and separated from their parents”, Salomeo said.
Meanwhile, out of 25 Children in CICL housed in Bahay Pag-asa last year, the number dropped to 17 this quarter. “Bahay Pag-asa is a transformation facility managed by the CSWDO. I am thankful to the Lord for His heavenly intervention. We all know that the CICL has different personalities and crimes committed and that their reformation has been a great challenge to us, but it has been our goal, through the help of our spiritual counselors, to bring them to the knowledge and wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ”, City Social Welfare and Development Officer Haydee L. Anunciado said in one of the interview.
In 2013, Republic Act 10630, amending the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, was passed. The new law allows children up to the age of 12 to be prosecuted for serious crimes such as rape and murder. The law also requires that local government units set up “Houses of Hope” or Bahay PagAsa to provide rehabilitation, diversion and intervention.
Even after the program, the tasks of social workers and parents in the rehabilitation of CICLs are not over. Monitoring is crucial. “All activities conducted while they are in the center help them become totally functional in all aspects of life. Part of our goal is to ensure that after their release, they will not commit the same crime or other offenses in the future”, Salomeo said.
Although many aspects of the facilities need improvement and future expansion is needed, with the drop of CICL case, social worker like Salomeo is more determined to give CICL the care and attention they deserve by giving them a home away from home!