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Several years ago, I was able to get inside several highly secured
jails for the first time. I was so shocked by what I saw I
couldn’t sleep for nights after. The jail visits revealed
children, as young as 10, were being held in detention with adults
and many suffered degrading physical and sexual abuse, some were
even being sadistically tortured. Few knew about this terrible
situation as it all happened behind locked gates and prison cells. I
was determined to rescue as many as possible, giving the
toothbrushes and snacks and ignoring the violations of their rights
was immoral. I had to act and with the help of the Juvenile Justice
Network I lobbied and campaigned to end the jailing of children in
conflict with the law.
Jubilee Action, a charity based in Guilford,
Surrey, in the UK, headed by the charismatic founder and leader
Danny Smith, has been instrumental in helping develop public
awareness round the world that led to a change in the Philippine law
and to the release and rehabilitation of hundreds of children. Danny
Smith got the ITV to send out a camera team led by Chris Rogers.
With hidden cameras we got inside the jails and filmed the
conditions and plight of these children that lay hidden for past
generations. It was documented and revealed to the world.
Soon after the shocking revelations, there was
an uproar in the Philippines and abroad. The Philippine Senate
passed the long pending Juvenile Justice Welfare Bill two weeks
later. But the Congress balked. Danny Smith persuaded ITV and Chris
Rogers to come again. I got them into other jails where children
were stacked like chickens in a cage. The second report showed that
the terrible conditions of children behind bars still prevailed:
sickness, disease, malnutrition, physical and sexual abuse. Slavery
ruled, as kids were “owned” by the cell bosses and worked for
their food. This report was more powerful that the first and the
“shock and awe” effect moved the Philippine Congress to finally
pass the law.
Readers can view the ITV/CNN report on the
Internet via YouTube, “CNN kids behind bars” or visit
www.preda.org.
Hundreds have been released by compassionate
judges but thousands across the county are still behind bars for
trivial offenses like playing cards on the street corner. Many are
abused and even tortured in degrading and severely damaging ways. A
few weeks ago we found three children in a police station cell with
adults.
Their eyes showed fear, docility, and hopeless
submissiveness. They were in shock and traumatized. What was done to
them and what they had to do to please the adult prisoners is
unprintable. They were made the girlie-boys of the jampacked cell.
The people who put them there ought to be in jail themselves.
The kids were half-naked, hungry, malnourished
and had scabies. They were frightened and miserably living in fear.
All of the inmates were being kept locked in these cells day and
night, with nowhere to sit or lie down. The children begged us to
give them food and when they were released to us they broke down and
cried and wailed for five minutes. All were dressed in dirty
tattered rags. We produced court release papers that transferred
them to our custody; it was a day of hope and the beginning of
happiness for them.
Outside they were clothed and fed, brought to
the Preda Boys Home. Here, they are free to run about, play
basketball, swim, go to school, take an apprenticeship for trade.
They learn right from wrong, grow in spiritual values and start life
over. No need for walls, fences, gates or guards. The vast majority
stay willingly and regain their pride, self-confidence and become
good students. This June, 24 have been enrolled in high school and
another 15 are taking distance learning. These are the throwaway
children of society, lost sheep whose rights were trampled underfoot
but are now found and restored to a life of goodness and dignity.
Let’s do all we can to help them.
preda@info.com.ph
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