Voice for children in RP court
Voice for children in RP court
By Melanie P. Ramos
MANILA: One of the perennial problems of the Philippine justice system is the slow disposition of cases of children who run in conflict with the law. This is partly due to the lack of social workers to assist children in court. Without the support of social workers in the preparation of reports and the monitoring of cases, judges are not able to make informed and just decisions on cases involving child offenders.
The available social workers are not enough to assist the growing number of children in our jails and detention centers. In the Manila Youth Reception Center (MYRC), for instance, only five social workers assist close to 200 youth offenders whose cases are being tried in court. Each child may have several cases, each of which requires the same amount of attention from the social workers. These social workers, though very much committed to their jobs, can only do so much. They urgently need help in facilitating the needs of children, especially in court-related proceedings.
The courts have not been deaf to the outcry of social workers and child rights advocates over the slow disposition of the cases of children who violate the law. A special project has been launched involving ordinary people from the community who care about children and who wish to assist children who are accused of crimes. They have been tapped to assist the court in the speedy disposition of the children's cases in order to uplift the disheartening condition of children in the jails and detention centers. Thus, the CASA/GAL project was launched early this year.
CASA/GAL stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate/ Guardian Ad Litem. CASA/GALs are volunteers from the community who are assigned to a case by a judge. Each volunteer works on one case, helping one child at a time.
As volunteers assisting youth offenders in court, CASA/GALs are required to conduct investigations on the background of the children's cases. They are tasked with reviewing pertinent documents and interviewing everyone who knows about the case, including the child.
CASA/GAL volunteers determine how the needs of children can be met and what resources are available to help them. If a child needs to be referred to a child-caring institution/agency for rehabilitation or treatment, the volunteers make the necessary arrangements.
CASA/GALs plead the cases of the children even during mediation. Bearing in mind the best interest of the child, the volunteers are required to submit reports to the court to enable the judge to make an informed decision.
Monitoring the case of the child is also an important responsibility of a CASA/GAL volunteer. If the court orders that a child and/or the child's family be provided counseling or any form of intervention, the volunteer sees to that this order is carried out.
What does it take to be a CASA/GAL volunteer? The CASA/GAL's role is to represent the best interest of the child. A volunteer therefore must be child sensitive and must be ready to commit to helping the child. This commitment may mean assisting the child for at least a period of one year.
CASA/GALs must possess good communication skills to effectively relate with social workers, lawyers, school officials or with angry parents/complainants. They must be objective in their assessments and must be self-confident especially when speaking in the courtroom on behalf of the child's best interest.
Though no legal experience is required to be a CASA/GAL, volunteers are required to undergo special training to help them perform their responsibilities effectively. During the training, recruits are oriented with regard to laws affecting youth offenders, the judicial process, child development, child abuse and neglect, and interviewing techniques.
The first CASA/GAL trainers' training seminar was sponsored by Unicef and the Ateneo Human Rights Center on April 23-26, 2001 in Makati. Forty participants from various non government and government organizations attended the training. The seminar aimed to equip the participants with knowledge and skills to become effective CASA/GAL trainers. A follow-up training session will be conducted in July, this time to train volunteers in the communities.
A CASA/GAL volunteer is a powerful voice for a child in court. It is hoped that with the training of more CASA/GALs in the communities, children languishing in the jails can expect a speedier disposition of their cases and get the assurance of support from the community.
-- Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network