Human Rights Committee - Philippine Center for Investigative ...

partially or fulltime. As many as 1.2 million are working children throughout
the
country.
In recent weeks I found the same if not worse conditions of children mixed in
with criminals and rapists in filthy, disease-infested prison cells that are no
better than medieval dungeons. Here the children are crammed into hot
humid overcrowded cells where bodies lie on bodies in a shocking tangle of
humanity, all struggling to remain sane and alive in conditions where disease
such as TB, HIV-AIDS, scabies and hepatitis are prevalent. Children don't
have a chance and are physically and psychologically scarred for life.
Sub-human conditions; attempted suicide
There is no room in many cells for all to sleep together, some stand while
others lie down on the hard concrete floor. Insects, mosquitoes, cockroaches
and even rats have to be endured. The children live in constant fear and
terror of being beaten, abused and raped by the adult criminals. Some slash
their wrists to escape the wretchedness and hopelessness of their lives.
They receive no medical or dental treatment other than occasional charitable
organizations can provide. There is no regular outdoor recreation, schooling
or
exercise.
Visits are strictly limited and active legal assistance is not existent other than
what the charities can provide. Social workers are banned from visiting the
cells for fear of witnessing the inhumane conditions or the presence of
adults.
The only relief from the sticky, oven-like humidity is electric fans, which we
provide, and a TV. To ease their pain and danger of getting raging blisters
and infected boils we are distributing mattresses to some jails. The food
allowance for each inmate is the equivalent of .25 cents a day. They eat
what the children describe as pig slop, usually scooped by hand from
common pot and as the weakest, they get the least. Providing vitamin
supplements is useless as these are taken from them by the adult prisoners
before they can even swallow them.
One 14 year old boy, Mark, reports he was attacked by a mentally deranged
prisoner and beaten to the point of semi-conscious. Another described how
he had to fight off the pedophiles and rapists that prey on the young boys.
There are small wooden cubicle in the cells where the young boys and
brought and forced to perform oral sex on the adults and others are gang
raped. Each cell is ruled by a mayor, or cell boss and his word is law. The
minors must obey like slaves, provide services to the adults, massaging,
rubbing, and easing their sexual needs .They clean the sometimes single
toilet hole and empty the buckets of urine that serve as a toilet in some cells.
Visits curtailed, cell visits banned
Instead of allowing Preda social workers to visit the jail cells to see the health
and condition of the children we are banned and prevented from entering the
cells. It is an order from higher authorities we are told, by whom we don't
know. The use of an abandoned building in Zambales for a children's home
has not been approved to date. [End]
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