By EMMANUEL CANTO
There was an incident in Bacolod City, uploaded by a netizen, that went viral on social media weeks ago. On that video, a father repeatedly beat his six-year-old daughter at the Bacolod Public Plaza.
It is not my cup of tea watching such a brutal act, considering that he is the father of the child. He is a beast in a man’s clothing. What kind of father is he?
And where the hell is the child’s mother? She is also an irresponsible mother for not taking care of the child and not attending to her needs. The parents of the child do not deserve to be called one.
Hats off to the child’s maternal grandmother who pursued the filing of the case. Netizens expressed their anger towards the father and sympathy towards the child.
Apparently, that was child abuse in the real sense of the word. Sad to note that a child doesn’t have the liberty to choose its own parents. It was so disgusting if the child was born to abusive parents. The child suffers in silence with no choice but to bear the trauma and burden.
That is why the Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) Act is appropriate in this case. And aside from that, the father would be facing violation of Republic Act 7610, known as the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.
The VAWC Act is the law that protects children against abusive parents. This is not just against the father as perceived, but against the mother as well. Child abuse has a bunch of forms. It can be physical or psychological.
However, if the child is physically abused, the psychological effect is for a lifetime whether there is an intervention. The child will carry it for a lifetime and, the worst part, if there was no proper psychological intervention, it will cascade to the next generation.
It was good to note that Mayor Greg Gasataya immediately intervened when he saw the video circulating online and immediately ordered to rescue the child in coordination with the Department of Social Services and Development’s (DSSD) Anti-Mendicancy Team.
After the father’s arrest, Mayor Greg confronted and brought him to Police Station 1.
The mayor admonished the father that no matter what the circumstances are, hurting and abusing the child is not justifiable.
Mayor Greg assured the public that the city government would look into this and that, ultimately, justice would be served to the lowly child.
Upon physical examination conducted by the women’s desk of the Bacolod City Police Station, there were a bunch of healed wounds on several parts of the child’s body, as she may probably have been continuously being beaten by her own father in the past.
What a predicament, in her tender years, she was supposed to be enjoying her childhood. However, that childhood was denied to her.
How many children in the entire country experienced the same? And what is the proactive intervention of the government? Sad to say, the government is, most often than not, reactionary after the fact, and not precautionary.
Moving forward, this is a wake-up call to all parents, guardians and grandparents who are taking care of their grandchildren, and whoever has the custody of the child as well, to never attempt to abuse the child in the guise of discipline.
A child has many flaws sometimes, and we adults must be the ones to understand and teach a child some lessons that are child-friendly. At the end of the day, a child will become a good citizen of this country.
Hence, in my own opinion, psychological intervention must be taken with the utmost consideration by the concerned government agency. The physical wound will heal. However, the bad psychological effect is hidden behind the child’s smile.
The government, particularly the Bacolod DSSD, must be proactive. In every barangay, there are cases brought to their attention where immediate action is needed so that the abusive parents will learn their lessons. Cases should be filed so that the custody of the child must be in place.
The role of the government is very vital in protecting the welfare of the child. Even though the mother is not exempted from the VAWC law, the mother can also be an avenue for child abuse physically and mentally. The never-ending inappropriate ranting of the mother to her child in public is within the ambit of child abuse. Hence, mothers must be very careful in their actions. Don’t hide child abuse for reasons of child discipline.
Discipline has many forms and sizes, but the most important thing is that it doesn’t cross the border. Remember that discipline is good as long as it is not within the ambit of child abuse.
The law specifically is for the utmost welfare of the child. When the welfare of a child is at stake, the court will decide in favor of the child as well as its custody.
I am looking forward that the Bacolod City government will be proactive so that no child can experience the same at the hands of abusive parents./WDJ