Be the barrier: Protect our youth for a better future

We need to build a society where every child feels safe, seen, and valued. This year, 2024, National Children's Month celebration, themed "Break the Prevalence, End the Violence: Protecting Children, Creating a Safe Philippines", tells us to prioritize the safety and well-being of our children across our nation. It is a voice telling us the necessity of addressing the building of barriers against violence for our children, it is a reality where it hinders them from their rights, dignity, and their future. 

There are a lot of ways in which our children experience violence such as cyberbullying, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and even exploitation. These issues are often caused by a lack of awareness, lack of education, poverty, and just for entertainment. These recent years, digital platforms have gradually increased and created new risks for violence toward our children, emphasizing the need to guide them. In resolving these concerns, it requires a diverse approach such as collaborative efforts between every one of us.

This celebration is to create a safe and approachable environment for our children where they are being loved, guided, and protected. By creating safe spaces—whether at home, in schools, or online—we empower children to thrive and contribute to the nation’s future. Programs focused on education, mental health support, and child-friendly laws are essential steps toward achieving this goal. This 2024 National Children's Month is a collaborative action where protecting them is not a responsibility of their parents alone: it is a responsibility and duty of every individual here in the Philippines. Communication is a necessity to break the violence that our children are experiencing, let us be the bridge to a safe and nurtured place for our children's sake, and let us not be the reason why they are afraid to take a step on their own. 

REFERRENCES:

Pinterest. (n.d.). Children playing a traditional Filipino game called "Agawan base". Retrieved November 17, 2024, from https://ph.pinterest.com/pin/909516087232359748/

Pinterest. (n.d.). Children playing a traditional Filipino game called "Patintero". Retrieved November 17, 2024, from https://ph.pinterest.com/pin/48765608441427006/