HOST: Good day, everyone! It’s me Marion Taduran–your host, and welcome to the Project Show!
Because of the pandemic and due to lockdowns, the number of child abuse and exploitation rates in the
Philippines is getting high. According to UNICEF Philippines that 90% of Filipino kids can access the
internet. And the 59% shows that they can connect to internet WITHOUT supervision of their parents or
guardian. Sadly that the study says 2 out of 10 kids are vulnerable to become victims of child online
sexual exploitation and abuse.
Children who have been sexually abused online exhibit behaviors that cause them to socially isolate
themselves and the child has no interest in school and friends. Having low self-esteem, traumas, and
nightmares are also signs to consider.
Today, we have a guest right here after me, and we will ask her to explore the work of a social worker.
Mr. Toñacao is a social worker who commit himself on his duty in a non-government organization called
“Be Courageous” which aims to help Filipino youths with their daily personal struggles. We are pleased
to see you here, Mr. Toñacao.
TOÑACAO: Yes, magandang Wednesday morning Philippines! Thank you for having me here at Project
Show!!
HOST: Let me ask you, as a Social Worker, what are the duties and responsibilities that you have?
TOÑACAO: A Child Protection Social Worker is responsible for a number of different types of services
designed to help families and children through various hardships and difficulties, most often employed
by the local governments. A Social Worker specializing in children’s protection must be prepared to face
a number of circumstances and situations.
HOST: What are the skill and education requirements in that field?
TOÑACAO: Social Worker in child welfare and protection positions must be able to manage, supervise,
organize and compile information as well as work well within teams and one-on-one with individuals. To
prepare for the types of situations that a social worker will face in this area, the minimum education
requirements is typically a bachelor’s degree in social work, sociology, criminal justice, or psychology.
HOST: How are you investigating children in any age when they are abused? How do you manage those
case?
TOÑACAO: On a daily basis, Child Protection Social Workers are responsible for investigating any
allegations of child abuse, endangerment, neglect, or other circumstances in which a child may not be
safe in a current living situation. Referrals are often issued by family, friends, schools, physicians, and
other interested parties who have witnessed or suspect an issue with a child’s safety. This requires for
social workers in children’s protection to investigate and gather evidence to either substantiate or
dismiss the allegations. Workers are often talks to the referring party, parents or guardians, and the
child involved in the case to begin to make a determination the next course of action. From interviews to
collecting physical evidence, the job requires daily interaction, investigation, and report writing to
document all findings.
HOST: Okay so how about working with Families?
TOÑACAO: In cases where abuse, neglect, or endangerment is substantiated, a protective services
worker will petition a judge in order to issue the order of removal. Many times, this requires a social
worker in this specialization to testify and submit reports for various court proceedings. In other cases, a
decision to remove may not be made directly after a referral. Often, though, enough evidence of some
lack of parenting or other circumstances could alert a case worker in protective services to possible need
for additional resources.
HOST: Next question, how does domestic violence affect a child’s social development?
TOÑACAO: Children and youth who are exposed to domestic violence experience emotional, mental,
and social damage that can affect their developmental growth.
HOST: Thank you very much for that information Mr. Jhoren Toñacao. Now that we know the process of
how social workers help and identify children who have suffer from abuse. We would like to interview
someone who is a survivor of abuse, the now 20 years old Ms. Villajos. Welcome to our show ma’am
and how are you?
VILLAJOS: I’m good. Good morning and thank you.
HOST: If I may ask, do you remember those things happened to you? Can you tell us your story?
VILLAJOS: I was 15 when got physically abused by my father. He is often drunk and every time he’s at
home, he often to hit me with anything that he grabs. I don’t have a mother anymore so there is no one
to protect me from my abusive father. With the help of Social Workers like Mr. Toñacao I was able to
free myself from my father and they help me a lot because I got traumatized from that life.
HOST: How will you open the mind of the people today, about abuses by which some of the people like
you, experience?
VILLAJOS: Social Workers helped me when I thought that I will die in the hands of my father, its scary.
Abuse is something that shouldn't be tolerate. Asking for help is very crucial because a lot of children
doesn't even know where to go. Social workers like Mr. Toñacao is there to help.
HOST: Thank you very much for sharing that to us ms. Villajos. A social worker in child welfare is very
important part of our community, they help children who are abuse, neglect, and on difficulty. We have
talked about how important the works of a social worker and how vital the process of their work just to
help and save a child. This is your host marion taduran and this is the project show! See you next week!
