Here is somebody from the UN who’s helping us out. So that’s the beauty of this 10-day visit, and it’s a good thing.
Undersecretary Severo Catura, Executive Director of the Philippine Human Rights Committee Secretariat | Photo courtesy: PCOO OSec Media
Contrary to interest groups' negative take on the country visit of United Nations Special Rapporteur, a Palace official on Tuesday said Mama Fatima Singhateh, UNSR on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, has commended the Philippine government for its laws aiming to protect children from sexual exploitation.
Undersecretary Severo Catura, Executive Director of the Philippine Human Rights Committee Secretariat, said Singhateh commended the positive aspects of the country's legal system for children who fell prey to trafficking and sexual exploitation.
"There are a lot of positive observations by the UN Special Rapporteur who really acknowledged our laws for children's protection and rehabilitation centers," Severo said during Daily Tribune's digital program "Straight Talk."
Singhateh, who was in the country from 28 November to 7 December for thematic cluster meetings with representatives from the Philippine executive, legislative and judicial branches, covering the areas of prevention, protection, justice, and rehabilitation, recognized how various government agencies collaborate to effectively help children who experienced exploitation.
"How the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Department of the Interior and Local Government come together to help sexually exploited children. Ito yung kagandahan na nakikita doon rather than focus on the negative aspects na ang dating kakulangan (This is the beauty that can be seen there rather than focusing on the negative aspects and those that are lacking)," Catura said.
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Catura also acknowledged the UN Special Rapporteur's visit whose expertise and long experience as a lawyer in The Gambia would help the government to do its "best" in confronting the global problem of child trafficking and exploitation.
"This sale of children, exploitation of children, is something that is rather a globalized problem. The Philippines is not the only one with this problem. Foreigners are behind this problem," he said in Filipino.
He added: "So we have the opportunity to tell the Special Rapporteur that she can help us out in this way. We are trying our best to do something to protect our children. The UN has a responsibility to also help us champion the cause."
Protecting children, he said, is "very much part" of the administration's priority to protect human rights.
"Here is somebody from the UN who's helping us out. So that's the beauty of this 10-day visit, and it's a good thing," he said.
Catura thanked Singhateh for her "fair assessment," and committed to convening inter-agency meetings to study her recommendations.
On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 as the highest, he said the outcome of the visit of Singhateh gets a 4 score.
"We were really very thankful. First of all, she was very fair in her assessment, she recognized that had a lot of positive efforts… and she identified areas that we should improve. And for us, we very welcome that because we are not perfect," he said.
Catura said the recommendations will be processed along the National Mechanism for Reporting and Follow-Up which the PHRC Secretariat manages in conjunction with the UN Joint Program for Human Rights.
