As part of the city’s initiatives to increase awareness on anti-child marriage, the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) conducted a capacity-building seminar for Indigenous People (IPs) in Barangay Suawan in Marilog District.
Over 400 IPs attended the seminar on Friday, December 6.
The practice of child marriage was outlawed in the Philippines in 2022 through Republic Act No. 11596, also known as “An Act Prohibiting the Practice of Child Marriage and Imposing Penalties Thereof,” which prohibits “all traditional and cultural practices and structures that perpetuate discrimination, abuse, and exploitation of children such as the practice of child marriage.”
The CSWDO partnered with the barangays for the information drive, which started in the first week of December. Aside from raising awareness, the campaign also aims to mobilize support from the barangays and strengthen their ability to defend children’s rights against child marriage.
In an interview with Madayaw, Irelyn May Constantino, the designated social worker for Barangay Suawan, said that aside from the seminar, they also distributed food packs containing canned goods and rice.
She said one of the city’s programs is to provide grocery packs to the lumad during the Christmas season, instead of them coming to the city proper and go house-to-house to ask for gifts.
“Karon kita na jod ang nag-adto. Sa una sila ang naga-adto sa atoa, karon kita na jod ang muadto sa ilaha kay para mas less hassle pod sa ilaha (We are now the ones who visit them. They used to go to the city proper, now we go to them to make things easier for them),” she said.
Constantino said that on the same day, an information drive was also held in Barangays Salaysay and Magsaysay.
Anti-child marriage, positive kid conduct, and the potential consequences of breaking the law were among the topics that were discussed during the gathering.
Sot Ruth Imilanan, a resident of Barangay Suawan, was thankful for the opportunity to learn more about child marriage.
She was also grateful for the food packs given to them by the city government.
“Pasalamat ko og dako nga karong bulana, December, nga niabot ning capability building sa amoang barangay. Nagpasalamat mi nga as lumad, daghan gyud og natabangan nga mga tao (I am very thankful that this month, December, this capability building has reached our barangay. As lumad, we appreciate that they were able to help many people),” she said
The information drive will continue in the districts of Paquibato, Marilog, Toril, Baguio, Calinan, and Tugbok, covering a total of 72,846 beneficiaries. CIO
