The Children’s Legal Rights and Development Center (CLRDC) urges the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to reassess its policy of imposing a blanket curfew hour for minors as per the pronouncement of the DILG prohibiting minors from staying on the streets of Metro Manila starting at 10 p.m.

Drawing from CLRDC’s experience of assisting children who are victims of structural violence and abuse, including those allegedly committed by state actors, the DILG must consider that this policy will only lead to arbitrary arrests and abuse of children at risk (CAR). Atty. Gian Miko Arabejo, Head of Legal Assistance Program of CLRDC, shared that “as we have documented/witnessed in the past, blanket curfew policies will only lead to arrests and further abuses of children who are already at risks. For instance, in 2018, when the anti-tambay (anti-loitering) campaign directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to crack down on individuals in public spaces, we have documented situations like the over-congestion of some detention facilities for minors or Bahay Pag-Asa centers, with youth locked up like sardines, taking turns in sitting and lying down to sleep, as they were turned over to these centers for alleged curfew violations. Many of them have also experienced abuses during arrest.” “This violates the rights of children and further discriminates and places young people at risk for torture/abuse”, Arabejo said.

There are many children who are forced to be in the streets because of injustices and circumstances beyond their control. Among these children are those exploited sexually or economically; children and youth pushed to the streets due to unjust economic structures; and children abused and neglected who are seeking safety in the streets or outside their homes.

Rowena Legaspi, Executive Director of CLRDC proposed that “instead of implementing a curfew and initiating mass apprehensions of children in street situations, we strongly urge the DILG to strengthen the capacity of the barangays to provide services and support aimed to address the root causes driving these children to the streets (e.g., community-based activities and centers for young people, safe shelters for survivors, strengthening activities and capacity of Barangay Councils for the Protection of Children, financial and material support to address suffering due to inflation, etc.), and implement laws that protect children and uphold their rights, instead of penalizing them.”