Effects Of Juvenile Welfare Act In The Philippines

Criminal acts in the Philippines are continuously rising and still evident in the country despite, the efforts of the government to abolish it. Parallel to that, law offenders are getting younger and considered to get away with their crime. This is because the R.A. No. 9344 or The Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act which protects Child in Conflict with the Law (CICL). This incident is bothering many citizens; even President Rodrigo Duterte has been vocal in revising the said law. However, what is The Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act (JJWA)? A system deals with children at risk and those who are in conflict with the law. It provides child-appropriate proceedings, programs for prevention, diversion, and rehabilitation, and they ensure the normal
It prohibits the authorities to detain children who are under fifteen years old and immediately return them to their parent/s, guardians, or to their nearest relative. It also include programs that helps juveniles with their values formation. To think of it, would it be worth it if they will consider revising the JJWA or would it just consume the time of the congress and the senate? According to Nelita Culong an OIC of the youth offenders division in DSWD-NCR (n.d.) the number of delinquent youth had never gone down and is continuously rising with their crimes getting more serious. At some point, the government should consider in studying the revision of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act. After revising it, they should ensure the strong implementation by the local government units and the authorities. Why do they need to revise it? It may seem to be a very well planned law but it also has its loopholes. First, they can actually lower the criminality age of individuals to nine years old and make detentions legal. Capturing young offenders can prevent future damage not only to the society but also to the lives of these law offenders. Taking them away from the society will be more effective with their values formation. Authorities are isolating these young offenders from the grave problems of the society where they got their current attitude. This also instils the children that at a young age they should
We should not forget that our goal is to help individuals be a part, be involved in the society, and at the same time do actions in transforming a society. We should not focus on the temporal transformation of individuals; instead, we should focus on the permanent transformation of the societies. We social workers should also consider the other part of the situation, we should be just and fair in the decision we will make. Our decision-making should not be clouded by our emotions and by pity towards the victim or the suspect. We should always choose what is right and better for the both parties. We should always remember the words Social Justice, we should give justice to all and not only to the few or to those they say are