Child Rights Protection Brigade: Promoting and Advancing Children’s Rights in Communities

The prevalence of exploitation and abuse among children in the Philippines places them at high risk, making the country a hotspot for the production of child sexual exploitation materials. In response, the Association for the Rights of Children in Southeast Asia (ARCSEA), in partnership with the Jumpstart Foundation Australia and with support from the Government of Canada, kickoff this project in August 2024 to strengthen community-based and community-led prevention efforts on child abuse and exploitation. 

The initiative primarily involves local women and young adolescents from the municipalities of Jalajala, Tanay, and Taytay in Rizal. Members of the Child Rights Protection Brigade (CRPB) in these areas were trained to facilitate discussions on child-related topics among adolescents and adults in schools and communities. These topics include child development, child rights, child abuse, online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), digital literacy and safety, and child discipline. 

Furthermore, training sessions covered basic mental health and psychosocial processing, along with an introduction to relevant legal systems and processes to guide the response to child abuse cases.