The number of cases involving violence against children (VAC) in the Philippines has been decreasing under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, according to a senior official of the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC).
“Here in this administration, I am happy to say—this is not my opinion, and you can always check with the Philippine National Police (PNP) Women and Children Protection Center—when we talk about VAC, the cases have gone down since 2016,” CWC Undersecretary Angelo Tapales said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Citing police data, Tapales said a total of 23,816 VAC cases were reported in 2016. This number dropped to 19,901 in 2022, which further declined to 18,756 in 2023 and eventually reached 18,089 in 2024.
Despite the downward trend, the CWC official emphasized the government’s continued commitment to eradicating all forms of violence against children.
“Good things are happening now, but of course, our government does not stop because we don’t want even one child to be harmed. I always repeat, in Bagong Pilipinas, every child is important. We won’t stop until it’s really gone,” Tapales said.
He said the decline of VAC may be attributed to the enactment of laws such as Republic Act 11930, or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act.
The CWC official likewise said the President has convened sectoral meetings to address VAC, specifically OSAEC.