New facility in Lanao del Sur offers safer space for survivors

Cotabato City, 10 July 2026 — Women and children survivors of violence in Wao, Lanao del Sur have now access to a safer, more private space to seek help following the opening of the Women and Children Protection Facility of the Ministry of Health – Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The newly established 36-square meter facility at the Wao District Hospital is the first of its kind in the Bangsamoro Region. It will serve as a one-stop center where survivors can access medical, psychosocial, and legal services in one place, reducing the need to move between multiple offices and retell traumatic experiences. 

Designed as a climate-resilient space that supports children’s safety and continuity of care during emergencies, the facility helps keep essential protection services accessible when families need them most.

Previously, a Women and Children Protection Unit operated within a shared space inside the hospital’s obstetrician - gynecologist office, limiting privacy and the quality of care provided to survivors. This new and dedicated facility addresses these gaps by offering a confidential, child-friendly environment designed to support survivors through a more sensitive and coordinated response. 

“When a child experiences violence, what they need first is a space where they feel safe enough to speak. This facility like this will make it easier for children to come forward and begin the process of healing, without fear or judgment. UNICEF will continue to support efforts to bring child-sensitive protection services closer to every child, especially those in underserved and hard-to-reach communities,” said UNICEF Philippines Representative Kyungsun Kim.

The facility will be managed by a qualified multidisciplinary team composed of health workers, social workers, and law enforcement personnel, ensuring that each case is handled with care and confidentiality, in a survivor-centered and a child-sensitive approach. 

“Access to support remains a challenge for many communities, particularly in unserved and underserved areas. This facility helps bridge that gap by bringing essential, child-sensitive services closer to the women and children who need them most,” said Dr. Kadil Sinolinding, Jr., the region’s Minister of Health.

By strengthening these services at the local level, the Wao facility will contribute to broader efforts of improving child protection systems in conflict-affected and underserved communities.

Since January 2026, the Women and Children Protection unit has already managed six cases of sexual abuse prior to the facility’s opening. It reflects the ongoing efforts to strengthen child protection systems in conflict-affected and geographically isolated areas, ensuring that no child will be left behind in accessing protection and support services.