CHR condemns abuse of students in Kalinga school

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has condemned the abuse experienced by two elementary students in Kalinga at the hands of their teacher.

The CHR was reacting to a viral video of a teacher hitting the students and pinching their ears as they appeared to be struggling to solve mathematical problems on the blackboard.

“Abuse and violence against children learners should stop and never be tolerated as forms of teaching and discipline in schools,” CHR Cordillera Administrative Region regional director Romel Daguimo said.

He noted that under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, in which the Philippines is a signatory, children should be protected from all forms of physical and mental violence, injury and abuse as well as neglect and maltreatment.

“It is the policy of the state to defend the rights of children to assistance and special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to their development. Child abuse like physical abuse and acts or words which debase or degrade the intrinsic worth and dignity of a human being is punished by law,” Daguimo said.

“School administrators, teachers or individuals engaged in child care and exercising parental authority are urged to refrain from inflicting corporal punishment upon a child,” he added.

Daguimo said all forms of child abuse and violence shall not be tolerated in schools under the Child Protection Policy of the Department of Education (DepEd).

The CHR commended the DepEd for immediately conducting an investigation into the incident.