DSWD-6 notes increase in juvenile delinquents

By Jennifer P. Rendon

The number of children in conflict with the law (CICL) has increased this year, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Region 6 reported.

Thanks, but no thanks to the ease of Covid-19 restrictions.

Anna Karla Villanueva, Regional Juvenile Justice and Welfare Committee (RJJWC) secretariat officer, said that the relaxed restrictions is seen as one of the main factors why more children have been suspected or accused of committing offenses.

During the Regional kick-off ceremony of the National Children’s Month celebration, the DSWD-6 reported 648 CICL, an increase of 23.9 percent from last year’s 493 for the first three quarters of the year.

Negros Occidental, to include Bacolod City, has the most number of CICL at 221, while Iloilo, to include Iloilo City, has 184.

On the other hand, Guimaras has 101; Capiz with 62; and Antique with 25.

But comparatively, Negros Occidental and Capiz registered slight decreases in the number.

Surprisingly, Guimaras, the region’s smallest province, registered the highest increase at 359 percent, since it only recorded 22 CICL last year.

Aklan and Iloilo logged 61.76 percent and 61.40 percent, respectively.

Villanueva said 187 CICL are undergoing community-based intervention while 175 are undergoing diversion program.

Diversion program refers to the program that the CICL is required to undergo after she/he is found responsible for an offense without resorting to formal court proceedings while Intervention refers to a series of activities that are designed to address issues that caused the child to commit an offense.

171 CICL are on aftercare, which is the provision of interventions, approaches and strategies with the end goal of ensuring effective reintegration and relapse prevention of the children.

Villanueva said they registered no recidivism among CICL.

However, it is reported that some previous CICLs are likely to commit offenses once they’re of legal age.