A Second Chance to Dream and Embrace a Better Future
As the world commemorates Human Rights Day, may it be instilled that children in conflict with the law should be treated with dignity, not jailed. They deserve a fighting chance to dream and embrace a better future.
Elijah (not his real name) looks like a typical young adult who is eager to see what life has to offer and discover what he can offer back. His pleasant demeanor overflows with calm confidence that allows him to freely express himself and share his story that evokes inspiration and hope.
As a child, he dreamt of being a pilot. That dream slowly faded as disenchantment over his home life started to take its toll on him. “My father was not around because he was working abroad. My mother also had a full-time job. I was always left alone with our house helper,” he recalls. “I mixed with the wrong crowd. I got into all types of vices because nobody was guiding me. Nobody was telling me if what I was doing was right or wrong or if was going overboard. I went with whatever my friends were doing without thinking about the consequences. I stopped dreaming. I just wanted that carefree life.”
By the time Elijah’s father was finally back in the country and his mother was spending more time at home, he already felt alienated. “I was sixteen at that time. Our family was finally whole again, but I felt so out of place. I felt as if they were different people.”
“I mixed with the wrong crowd. I got into all types of vices because nobody was guiding me. Nobody was telling me if what I was doing was right or wrong or if was going overboard."
He continued spending most of his time with his friends until one fateful night that drastically changed his life. “I went out that night and hung out with my friends doing vices, having fun. When dawn broke, there was news of a crime on the very street that we were on. My friends and I checked out the crime scene,” Elijah narrates. A week later, he was arrested by the police. “I was confused and asked what I did wrong because I couldn’t remember anything.”
“I remember running into my father when we were about to leave. His face was filled with anguish, as if a family member died. He almost broke down when he saw me in the police vehicle and I remember him asking me, ‘What are you doing there?’ I said, ‘Pa, I don’t know.’”
Elijah spent eight months in a detention cell while his case was being tried in court. Looking back, he laments the condition of the detention cell that he shared with 22 other children in conflict with the law, as well as the treatment that they got. “It was really traumatic for children. It was as if you’re living in the world of the dead. You’re alive but you feel like you’re dead. Like during that time when the toilet bowl was clogged. Toilet plungers are not allowed inside so we had to use our hands. There was no water, our hands smelled of feces. We’d get our hands out the toilet bowl then we’d eat. The bowl was overflowing and it smelled so bad. It was as bad as what you see in jails for adults. That’s how we were. We were all kids but we experienced that already.”
“It was really traumatic for children. It was as if you’re living in the world of the dead. You’re alive but you feel like you’re dead."
He was eventually transferred to the then newly constructed Bahay Pag-asa facility in Valenzuela, which gives proper social welfare and intervention programs under the Philippine Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act (JJWA). Elijah stayed there for the entire duration of his trial. He was able to continue his education there through Alternative Learning System. He formally finished high school and received his diploma when he got out.
As part of his disposition, Elijah was endorsed to ACAY Missions Philippines, a local NGO, and after 6 months, he was able to enroll in college. He persisted until he finished his four-year course and earned his degree. At present, he is employed and is working hard to fulfill yet another dream. “I want to become a police officer. I want to serve our countrymen. I want to create a positive impact on people, especially children,” he shares with full conviction.
“I wouldn’t have reached this far in life if not for the help of the local government of Valenzuela, of the house parents, nurses, psychologists, social workers, policemen, Judge, my attorney, and even Fiscal,” Elijah stresses. “I am grateful that they believe that children in conflict with the law can change for the better. I started dreaming again. Without knowing it, they helped me build my dreams.” He has long made amends with his family and is also very grateful for their full support throughout his ordeal.
Because of the programs from the government of Valenzuela and ACAY Missions, together with the support from compassionate justice and social welfare actors, Elijah found the will to change and make the best of his life. This is proof that with the full implementation of the JJWA — where justice and social systems work together and families are supported — any child in conflict with the law, like Elijah, can be given the opportunity to reach their full potential and become an integral part of society.
As the world commemorates Human Rights Day, may it be instilled that children in conflict with the law should be treated with dignity, not jailed. They deserve a fighting chance to dream and embrace a better future.
UNICEF Philippines supports the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council in advocating for the full implementation of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.
“I am grateful that they believe that children in conflict with the law can change for the better. I started dreaming again. Without knowing it, they helped me build my dreams."
