I want to end all the wars and strife
And all the pain and suffering therein
But most of all, more than anything else
I just want to be a kid again. (93-96) ̶ R.M. Shilpi
The poem above reflects the current issues that our young people face today. Youth nowadays, are masked with a sense of fear and defiance. They possess enlivened mien yet a mind that is innocent. These children are subjected to individual risks as they commit various offenses such as addiction to drugs, theft, robbery, use of violence against their peers and the like. Thus, society reprimands them and makes way to get rid of them, forgetting that they are still children who are in need of proper guidance and attention. It is a challenged to everyone to reclaim these children and bring them to decent homes where they will only think about good life waiting ahead of them.
The term Child in Conflict with the Law (CICL) refers to a child who is alleged as, accused of, or adjudged as, having committed an offense under Philippine laws. Basically, juvenile delinquent pertains to a child, under the age of eighteen years, as offender of the law. He or she may be exempted from criminal liability under appropriate circumstances. A child below fifteen years of age receive full exemption but will be subjected to an intervention program . And a child above fifteen years but below eighteen years of age will also receive full exemption and be subjected to intervention program, unless acted with discernment, in such, will be subjected to appropriate proceeding in accordance with the Act. These children have problem with the law but not necessarily mean they are guilty, as explained by Doan Foranta of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) NCR.
The rate of delinquency among youth is uncontrollably moving. According to DSWD, who provides services to such individuals, the number of children in conflict with the law declined by more than 50.0% from