No CICL in Western Visayas jails – BJMP
There are no Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL) detained in jails in Western Visayas.
Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Human Resource chief Gilbert Peremne said they have turned over all child offenders to appropriate agencies which are supposed to rehabilitate them for eventual return to mainstream of society.
Peremne said despite the constraints in their resources, they have seen to it that these child offenders are not put together with other adult offenders but are protected, their physical, social and moral well-being promoted.
In related developments and in connection with the celebration of Children's Month, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) had underscored the big role the local government units play in the development of children and in seeing to it that all necessary interventions are given to prevent a child from being a violator of the law.
DILG Undersecretary for Special Concerns Joselito Ruiz said children in conflict with the law are often victims of circumstances beyond their control and as such should be treated as human beings with problems needing help.
Ruiz said the on-going trainings they have been conducting with LGUs and personnel of the BJMP all over the country are aimed at enabling these agencies to provide the CICL with the opportunity to reform and be reintegrated into their families and communities as productive members of society.
Peremne, on the other hand, said they have good working relationships with the social welfare and other service providers which make it easy for them to open more opportunities for the CICL outside the jails.
The DILG said that the law mandates the LGUs to strengthen their local councils for the protection of children and set aside an amount to build youth detention homes and establish community-based programs for comprehensive rehabilitation of CICL. (PIA 6)