MODULE ON

CHILD
PROTECTION
POLICY

Prepared by:

ERLINDA H. SERDON
DEZERIE B. MECIJA
MAMATID ES

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 Child Protection Policy

Introduction

Lesson 7 is divided into the following 3 sections:

1.1) What is a child protection policy?

1.2) What are the prohibited acts under child protection policy?

1.3) Why do we need child protection policies and procedures?

Objectives

Upon completion of this module you will be able to:

1) Understand what child protection is and why it is important;

2) Awareness of the different prohibited acts under child protection policy; and

3) Zero tolerance for any act of child abuse, exploitation, violence,

discrimination, bullying and other forms of abuse in school.

READ

1.1 WHAT IS A CHILD PROTECTION POLICY?

A child protection policy provides a framework of principles, standards and

guidelines on which to base individual and organizational practice in relation to areas,

such as:

- Creating a ‘child safe’ and ‘child friendly’ organization (in relation to

environmental safety as

well as protection against physical, psychological and sexual abuse)

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 - Prevention of abuse

- Personnel recruitment and training

- Robust management systems

- Guidelines for appropriate and inappropriate behaviour / attitude

- Guidelines for communications regarding children

- Recognizing, reporting and reacting to allegations of abuse

- Ramifications of misconduct for those failing to follow the policy

A policy is not necessarily solely directed towards sexual abuse, but rather may

also encompass all aspects of child protection including, but not limited to: disciplinary

measures, health and safety measures, physical harm, working with information about

children, proper recruitment and managerial procedures, and the ramifications of

misconduct.

SCQ 1.1

Brainstorm ideas on - ‘What are we protecting children from?’

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1.2 WHAT IS CHILD ABUSE?

Child Abuse - refers to the maltreatment of child, whether habitual or not, which
includes any of the following:

1. psychological or physical abuse, neglect, cruelty, sexual abuse and

emotional

maltreatment;

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 2. any act by deeds or words which debases, degrades or demeans the intrinsic

worth and dignity of a child as a human being;

3. unreasonable deprivation of the child’s basic needs for survival, such as food

and shelter; or

4. failure to immediately give medical treatment to an injured child resulting in

serious impairment of his or her growth and development or in child’s

permanent incapacity or death (Sec. 3b, RA 7610)

According to the World Health Organization, ‘Child abuse’ or ‘maltreatment’

constitutes ‘all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or
negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential
harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a
relationship of responsibility, trust or power.

SCQ 1.2

Read the following statements and decide whether they refer to cases of abuse
or not. Keep the following questions in mind:

● How did you decide? What makes one thing abuse and another thing not
abuse?

STATEMENTS:

Is it abused when......

● A 12 year old is slapped hard with a hand?

● A baby is shaken by its mother?

● A father sleeps in the same bed as his 12year old daughter?

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● A mother sleeps in the same bed as a 14year old son with a disability?

● Parents walk around the house naked in front of the children?

● A mother tells her young son that she wishes he had never been born?

●A 12 year old boy forces a seven year old girl to masturbate him?

● A man persuades a 1 year old into sexual acts by offering affection and money?

● A 13 year old boy is beaten with a belt for telling lies?

● A 6 year old girl is left on her own at home, for several hours every night, while her
mother goes out to work?

● A 7 year old boy is sent out to sell sweets on the streets for 10 hours a day?

● A 10 year old girl is told to go out and not return home until she has enough money to
buy food for supper?

● A 2 year old is tied to a post while her mother is making bricks by hand?

READ

1.3 WHAT IS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CHILDREN?

DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CHILDREN - refers to an act of exclusion,

distinction, restriction or preference which is based on any ground such as age,

ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity, language, religion, political or

other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, being inflicted by AIDS, being

pregnant, being a child in conflict with the law, being a child with disability or other

status or condition, and which has the purpose or affect of nullifying or impairing the

recognition, enjoyment or exercise by all persons on an equal footing, of all rights and

freedom.

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READ

1.4 WHAT IS CORPORAL PUNISHMENT?

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT - Refers to a kind of punishment or penalty imposed for

an alleged or actual offense, which is carried out or inflicted, for the purpose of

discipline, training or control, by a teacher, school administrator, an adult, or any other

child who has been given or has assumed authority or responsibility for punishment or

discipline. It includes physical, humiliating or degrading punishment, including but not

limited to the following:

1) Blows such as, but not limited to, beating, kicking, hitting, slapping, or

lashing, of any part of a child’s body, with or without the use of an instrument such as,

but not limited to a cane, broom, stick, whip or belt;

2) Striking of a child’s face or head, such being declared as a “no contract

zone”;

3) Pulling hair, shaking, twisting joints, cutting or piercing skin, dragging,

pushing or throwing of a child;

4) Forcing a child to perform physically painful or damaging acts such as, but

not limited to, holding a weight or weights for an extended period and kneeling on

stones, salt, pebbles or other objects;

5) Deprivation of a child’s physical needs as a form of punishment;

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 6) Deliberate exposure to fire, ice water, smoke, sunlight, rain, pepper, alcohol,

or forcing the child to swallow substances, dangerous chemicals, and other materials

that can cause discomfort or threaten the child’s health, safety and sense of security

such as, but not limited to insecticides, excrement or urine;

7) Tying up a child;

8) Confinement, imprisonment or depriving the liberty of a child;

9) Verbal abuse or assaults, including intimidation or threat of bodily harm,

swearing or cursing, ridiculing or denigrating the child;

10) Forcing a child to swear a sign, to undress or disrobe, or put on anything

that will make a child look or feel foolish, which belittles or humiliates the child in front of

others;

11) Permanent confiscation of personal property of pupils, students or learners,

except when such pieces of property pose a danger to the child or to others, and

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 12) Other analogous acts.

1.5 WHAT IS CHILD EXPLOITATION?

CHILD EXPLOITATION – refers to the use of children for someone else's advantage,

gratification or profit resulting in an unjust, cruel and harmful treatment of the child.

Two forms:

1) Sexual exploitation – abuse of position of vulnerability, differential power, or

trust, for sexual purposes.

2) Economic exploitation – use of the child in work or other activities for the

benefit of others.

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SCQ 1.5 What is the psychological impact of child exploitation?

1.6 VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN COMMITTED IN SCHOOLS – refers to a single

act or a series of acts committed by school administrators, academic and non-

academic personnel against a child which result in or is likely to result in physical,

sexual, psychological harm or suffering or other abuses including threats of such acts,

battery, assault, coercion, harassment or arbitrary deprivation of liberty. It includes, but

is not limited to the following acts:

1) Physical violence - bodily or physical harm. It includes assigning tasks which

are hazardous to their physical well-being.

2) Sexual violence – acts that sexual in nature. It includes, but not limited to:

rape, sexual harassment, forcing the child to watch obscene or indecent shows, forcing

the child to engage in sexual activity.

3) Psychological violence – acts or omissions causing or likely to cause mental

or emotional suffering of the child.

4) Other acts of violence of a physical, sexual or psychological nature that are

prejudicial to the best interest of the child.

SCQ 1.5 Check (/) the item that suspect that a child is experiencing physical violence.

 When a child repeatedly has body wounds, bruises or burns.

 When a child hides wounds and bruises under long sleeves and pants and is
dressed like this, even when it's hot or during gym.
 When a child doesn’t want to talk about injuries or makes up a strange story of
how they’ve got them.
 When adults explain child's injuries with stories that seem unbelievable or too
common.
 When a child is afraid that we will talk about injuries with parents.

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  When a child has bruises on soft
parts of the body, which could
be caused by someone biting or
pinching.
 When a child is afraid to go
home.
 When a child has a very strong
emotional reaction when
receiving a bad mark or when
they make a mistake, about
which parents will be notified.
 When a child is afraid to be
examined by a doctor.
 When a child shows self-
destructive tendencies.
 When a child uses violence
towards others and has other behavioural problems.
 When a child runs away from home.

1.7 BULLYING OR PEER ABUSE – is committed when a student commits an act or a

series of acts directed towards another student, or a series of single acts directed

towards several students in a school setting or a place of learning, which results in

physical and mental abuse, harassment, intimidation, or humiliation.

a) Threats to inflict a wrong upon a person, honor or property of the person or on his or

her family;

b) Stalking or constantly following or pursuing a person in his or her daily activities, with

unwanted and obsessive attention;

c) Taking of property;

d) Public humiliation, or public and malicious imputation of a crime or of a vice or

defect, whether real or imaginary, or any act, omission, condition, status, or

circumstance tending to cause dishonor, discredit or expose a person to contempt;

e) Deliberate destruction or defacement of, or damage to the child's property;

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f) Physical violence committed upon a student, which may or may not result to harm or

injury, with or without the act of weapon. Such violence may be in the form of mauling,

hitting, punching, kicking, throwing things at the student, pinching, spanking, or other

similar acts;

g) Demanding or requiring sexual or monetary favors or exacting money or property

from a pupil or student; and

h) Restraining the liberty and freedom of a pupil or student.

BULLYING OR PEER ABUSE – is any conduct which results to harassment,

intimidation, or humiliation, through electronic means or other technology, such as, but

not limited to texting, email, instant messaging, chatting, internet, social networking

websites or other platforms or formats.

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