
During the mission three centres were visited (Navotas Holding Centre for Youth, Bahay Sabdigan Centre and Yakap Bata Centre) and interviews were conducted with children detained. OMCT also met with authorities of the Council for the Welfare of Children and authorities of the Swiss Embassy to discuss the conditions and treatment of children in conflict with the law in the Philippines.
OMCT expresses its concern over the poor conditions of the detention centres that were visited and notices with great concern that abandoned and homeless children are placed in detention together with children who are in conflict with the law.
Authorities claimed that they were placed there due to the lack of appropriate places to receive them.
A number of children claimed that violence in the detention centres included beating, kicking, slapping, hitting with woods and metal bars and that torture also happened in police stations, during their arrest.
OMCT recalls that the deprivation of liberty of a child must always be a measure of last resort and for the minimum necessary period. Children deprived of liberty are in a situation of special vulnerability and must be entitled to special measures of protection in order to guarantee their safeguard and humane treatment.
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