1. The Petition to "Save Philippine Children in Prison" will be presented to key leaders of the US-Philippine Friendship Caucus (comprising 72 members of the US Congress) on Sept 19, 2005. Copies of the petition will also be sent to the United Nations Human Rights Commission, UNICEF, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, International Action Center, Free the Children Foundation, key members of the Philippine Congress and Philippine Senate forcing the government to take action. Active lobbying and advocacy measures will be done, urging the government to pass juvenile justice legislation protecting the human rights of Children in Conflict with the Law, and to provide institutional, human and financial resources that will ensure effective implementation of measures addressing the issues of children in prison.

2.  NANAY committee members will set up meetings with government executive and legislative bodies to help develop check and balance policies for oversight, as well as discuss and provide workable and sustainable solutions to the problems of children in prison. A disused government building has already been identified at San Nicolas, Castillejos, Zambales (where awful conditions of children behind bars exist) for possible conversion into a children's home and livelihood training center, with an adjacent small piece of unused land that can be used as organic farm to help feed the children.  This property has been previously paid for by various donors including World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the U.S. Development funds of the Mt. Pinatubo Commission in 1991 but was hardly used by the government for the victims of the Mt Pinatubo eruption.

3. At least 200 children in prison who are at high-risk (sick, frail, debilitated, severely abused) or those charged with minor offenses will be released through bail or other means, and reunited with their parents, placed in foster homes or transferred to rehabilitation centers, while the Committee is lobbying for Presidential Decree of amnesty for imprisoned children.

4.  Specific local projects will be supported from existing funds based on priority needs. An inter-disciplinary, consultative process will be initiated with local NGO's such as PREDA Foundation.  PAYO ( Phil.Action for Youth Offenders),  Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care (CBCP), Caritas,  Children's Home Illumined with Love and Deliverance (CHILD), CHILD HOPE, Jubilee Action and others to review ongoing local programs for children in conflict with the law.

5. Bimonthly townhall meetings will be held and educational materials will be distributed to sensitize communities about the issues on children in prison.  Government agencies such as the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) will be educated about international laws concerning the protection of children and minor detainees, in addition to training and sensitization of police, referral agencies, judges and other officials who come in contact with children in conflict with the law. 

6. Preventive measures will include parental skills development and support, especially for early childhood development. Alternative family-based care for children deprived of a family/community-based environment will be explored, including adoption, fostering, support for child-headed households, and support for extended family. 

7. Mentoring youth-to-youth programs will be developed between successful former detainees and present ones with continued contacts after release. All these activities and projects will be coordinated with NGO's that are already operating in the Philippines. 

The NANAY Philippines National Executive Director, serving as Chair of the NANAY Philippine Assistance Committee, will stay in the Philippines to coordinate and oversee the committee's initiatives. Committee members from the U.S. and other countries will communicate through e-mail exchanges and teleconferences, and will do periodic site visits. 

Specific results will be measured by the number and nature of Congressional Bills for juvenile justice passed and implemented as a result of lobbying, the number of children released from prison and transferred to a fully operational rehabilitation or training center, reduced number of children incarcerated with adults, pre- and post-evaluation surveys from workshops and town hall meetings, copies of educational materials, number of families participating in parental skills programs, number of children placed in alternative family-based care, and number of young offenders in mentoring programs.

 LONG TERM RESULTS

Our multi-directional approach (advocacy, direct support, rehabilitation, outreach, prevention) through community mobilization will result in a better future for the imprisoned children, empowering them to become productive adults instead of hardened criminals. Promoting changes in public policy and fostering a more equitable criminal justice system through collaborative grassroots advocacy can serve as a model for other countries with similar problems. 

2005 ACTION STEPS

Contact Information 

Telephone 305-981-3232

FAX 305-981-3231

Postal address

659 N.E. 125 Street, North Miami, Florida 33161

Electronic mail:  joybruce@aol.com   elsabayani2003@yahoo.com