MILF: Int’l NGO educates community in Basilan on Monitoring & Reporting Grave Child Rights Violations

Posted to the MILF Website (Dec 18): Int’l NGO educates community in Basilan on Monitoring & Reporting Grave Child Rights Violations

Plan International, a Non-Government Organization (NGO) operating in 50 countries worldwide, educated the community members of Al Barka, Basilan, on Monitoring & Reporting Mechanism on Grave Child Rights Violations. The information drive that was conducted at the Community Learning Center (CLC) of Barangay Cambug, Al-Barka, Basilan last December 8, 2012 was attended by more than a hundred elements of Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) under the command of Base Commander Ust. Dan Asnawi of the MILF 114th Base Command. Some local Health Workers, Barangay Officials, community leaders and officers of Municipal and Barangay Political Committees of the MILF also attended similar orientation at the CLC of Barangay Kailih, Al-Barka last December 9, 2012.

The Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) is an undertaking of the United Nations facilitated by UNICEF aimed to prevent occurrences and trigger immediate response to grave child rights violations. Ely Salazar, Program Manager of Plan International, who facilitated the community orientation said MRM is a product of several years of focused attention on the plight of children affected by armed conflict. He added that the program’s goal is to protect children affected by armed conflict by enhancing the accountability of perpetrators (whether state or non-state actors), preventing the occurrence of violations and triggering response to grave violations through advocacy, policy development, and programmatic response. MRM further aims to provide timely, objective, reliable, and accurate information on grave child rights violations to the UN Security Council and other MRM focal structures such as the MRM Steering Committee & Country Task Force. Salazar related that MRM encourages safe and ethical sharing of information on grave violations to inform response and organize local, national, regional, and international response to grave violations that are identified, reported, and verified by the Country Task Force.

The United Nations has identified the following as grave violations of child’s rights: killing and maiming of children; recruitment and use of children in armed group; attacks on schools and hospitals; rape and grave sexual violence; abduction of children; and denial of humanitarian access. With UNICEF, Plan International has been facilitating the implementation of UN-MILF Action Plan to halt the involvement of child associated with conflict in the BIAF. The MILF had agreed with the UN not to allow Moro youth below 18 year old to participate in the military affairs of the organization.

Part of the Action Plan is the advocacy on Child’s Rights facilitated by Plan International in coordination with the MILF on the ground. Jeffrey Pilapil, Plan International Consultant and co-facilitator, related how the community members of Al Barka Basilan are yearning for development interventions from other agencies to reach their communities. Between March 1, 2012 to July 15, 2012, Plan International reached out target communities in Al-Barqa providing Micro-Nutrient Supplementation and Psycho-Social Interventions to conflict affected children ages 3-5.

Salazar also related that the 114th Base Command welcomes any development initiatives for the communities of Al Barqa. He added the participants were grateful for the inputs given to them on the said orientation. During the open forum, the participants mentioned request for Madaris education improvement such as renovations of classrooms, honorarium for Asatidz (Madrasa teachers), road rehabilitation and water system projects.

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