SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday urged concerned departments to ensure the welfare and safety of children amid the evacuation of residents near Taal Volcano.

He called on the Departments of Health and Social Welfare and Development as well as local government units to establish child-friendly spaces and provide basic necessities and services such as food, water, medicines, and hygiene kits.

He also stressed the need for psychosocial interventions as mandated by Republic Act 10821 or the Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act.

Data from Save the Children organization shows that at least 124,000 children were displaced when the Taal Volcano erupted in 2020.

Gatchalian warned that children, especially young girls, are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation during calamities.

A 2017 study by Dr. Gloria Luz  Nelson, a social science researcher of the Department of Science and Technology’s National Research Council of the Philippines, showed that girls aged 10-19 are likely to get molested or pregnant with the length of their stay in evacuation centers.

The study looked at how teenage girls in Eastern Visayas were affected by Typhoons Yolanda and Ruby in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

“Ngayong hinaharap ng mga kabataan ang pinagsamang panganib ng pandemya at posibleng malakas na pagsabog ng bulkang Taal, dapat nating tiyakin ang kanilang kaligtasan mula sa pagkakasakit at pang-aabuso,” Gatchalian said.

To address issues that evacuees commonly face such as congestion, exposure to hazards, and lack of facilities, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture sought the establishment of structurally sound evacuation centers in every city and municipality in his Senate Bill 747 that he filed in 2019.