SENATOR Risa Hontiveros has sponsored the committee report endorsing the Magna Carta of Children, a long-standing advocacy of child rights advocates in the Philippines.

Hontiveros said the Magna Carta codifies the rights of children as outlined in other laws and clarifies the primary duty bearers in the exercise of these rights.

It also contains protective provisions for children in particularly vulnerable situations, such as children who are victims of climate-related disasters, children in GIDA areas, victims of human trafficking, and violent crime, among others.

The proposed measure institutionalizes the creation of child advocacy centers to legislate protections for child-witnesses and child-survivors of crime.

“Para po itong one-stop shop ng services para sa kanila, at para hindi na paulit-ulit ang kanilang paglahad ng kanilang naranasan at nasaksihan,” Hontiveros said.

The senator stressed that many international donors are willing to fund the construction of these centers because they have been proven to work in Thailand, Cambodia, and the United States.

“This bill deserves our utmost support. It is a happy bill, a bill our 19th Congress should rally around. Let us make this our legacy to our nation’s children, and perhaps, as Christmas is coming, our Christmas gift to them as well,” she added.