The Systems Working Group of the CRC Coalition led a data collection workshop for its members last March 7, 2018. This activity aims to further improve the skills in mining and consolidating information from researches, conferences, or forums that are being conducted within and outside the Coalition.
Manay Llana, representative of Institute of Church and Social Issues, is currently leading the Systems Working Group in establishing a child rights monitoring system to prepare in different reports being submitted at the national, regional, and global levels.
The representatives of the organizations recommitted their membership to the geographic team, thematic cluster, and child rights issue to be monitored.
Institute on Church and Social Issues is leading NCR Team, EDUCO Philippines in Luzon, Plan International Philippines in Visayas, and Kindernothilfe E.v. in Mindanao.
As for the thematic clusters, Civil Rights and Freedom as well as the General Measures of Implementation is led by Save the Children Philippines, Special Protection Measures and Optional Protocol on Children in Armed Conflict by ChildFund Philippines, Optional Protocol on Sale of Children by ECPAT Philippines, Education, Leisure, and Cultural Activities by EDUCO Philippines, Family Environment and Alternative Care by Consuelo Foundation, and Basic Health and Welfare by Plan International Philippines.
Llana presented the UN CRC reporting and monitoring process linked with the preparation of the Coalition in submitting the NGO Alternative Report.
The initial list of child rights issue to be monitored committed by members includes public investment on children, child abuse online, corporal punishment, child participation, children deprived of family environment, children with disabilities, health and services (subtopics on Dengvaxia and Mental Health), Education (subtopic on Inclusive Education), children of Indigenous Peoples, child labor, drug abuse, sexual exploitation, pornography, prostitution, children in situations of armed conflict, juvenile justice, protection from all forms of violence, children in emergency situations/disasters, child marriage, and children in street situations.
The Data Capture Tool developed by the Systems Working Group will be utilized in order to mine the data from these child rights issues. It looks into the important statistics, disaggregated data, voices of children, anecdotes, gaps, notes on methodology, and recommendations.
Cecile Cornejo, representative of Plan International Philippines as co-lead of the Capacity Building Working Group said, “This learning session is valuable, going back to a classroom setting and learning more to improve our work in monitoring children’s rights.”
On April 19, the group will convene again in order to formulate the NGO Alternative Report with clear and concrete recommendations based on the consolidated data per thematic cluster.