MASS MEDIA AND CHILD ABUSE IN THE PHILIPPINES Essay, Research Paper

MASS MEDIA?S ROLE AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS ON

CHILD ABUSE IN THE PHILIPPINES

Child abuse – by looking and meditating upon these two words, gives most people

a vision of the faults and blunders of Philippine society. By citing a common illustration,

the notorious Leo Echegaray was proven to have raped his daughter five years ago.

Undergoing controversial bills and laws and several, strenuous court trials, the affirmed

criminal was utterly sentenced to death through the dreaded lethal injection in which

according to the lower house was the most humane way of execution. Child

mistreatment is one of the most common crimes committed by Filipinos in the present

and is rapidly increasing. One can find vital statistics to certain crimes at the Bantay Bata

163 website (http://www.abs-cbn.com/bantaybata163). According to the Department of

Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), 3,359 cases of child abuse were reported for

the year of 1996 alone. Child rape, which consists of 43% of such cases, ranks high in

the social welfare statistics. Incest or invalid affection to certain members of the family,

ranks second in the records of DSWD. Correspondingly, the formidable crime of child

prostitution ranks third with 406 cases or 16%. Indeed, the government and certain non-

government organizations must deal with these incidents of child abuse particularly the

mass media.

The mass media as referred to above, acts as the core and essence of the Filipino

people?s society in the twentieth century. Acting as an ombudsman in politics, the mass

media, which includes television, radio, newspapers or periodicals and even the Internet,

refutes errors of the government both grave and insignificant. Efficiency of mass media

gives way to cool entertainment, colorful advertising, and even productive crime solving.

In the Philippine society, the mass media acts as an ultimate weapon against graft and

corruption thus giving it influencing power over the government. A good illustration is

the construction of certain fly-overs, bridges, and the expeditious Light Rail Transit was

the work of the mass media by reason of they render traffic reports and tease individual

politicians with their performance. At the same time, media pumps clever ideas in the

people?s petite minds giving them brilliant concepts on critical subject matters especially

children. Mass media, exceptionally the television, ingeniously shows programs to

children with a mix of current events. Such examples include Batibot, a morning show

that emphasizes children to learn current events, mathematics, reading and writing and

practice love of country and love of God. ATBP a fairly competitive clone to Batibot

exercises the same programs yet it combines learning by adding colorful multimedia

computer effects for adequate teaching capabilities. Seeing that kids idolize the

television more and since the Philippines is known for students excelling in science and

technology, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports formed a contract with

broadcasting owners to have a show known as the Sineskwela. The television program is

being used to teach kids science and technology at its very best. Indeed, mass media

seems to be a very brilliant source of ideas and knowledge yet it can also be a destructive

and obliterating force in which people are influenced to commit crimes and unpleasant

deeds. Way back in 1994, an unforgettable television commercial can be recalled: a rope

tied into a knot visualizing a sorrowful television viewer to “kick the bucket” or

assimilate suicidal tendencies to be fed to his pathetic mind. Yet the advertisement

exhibits that using drugs is like committing suicide – a good illustration for the youth.

Notwithstanding, it can be an inadvisable representation to the depressed. The media

sensibly uses such ideas but never thinks of the side effects of such depictions. Illicit

magazines and tabloids as an addition, are one of the few origins of sexual crimes. As a

personal illustration, this certain classmate of mine last semester even has a collection of

these daily tabloids due to the fact that he follows a libidinous and sensual storyline of a

young teenage girl who had illicit sexual relationships with fellow teenagers and dirty old

men. The world of fashion can be a derivation of trends and informal clothes and

hairstyles. Likewise, it can also be a source of sexual misdeeds. Pamela Anderson,

Cindy Crawford, Alicia Silverstone and Jenny McCarthy are examples of the elite

supermodels of the world. Furthermore they are also considered the objects of sexual

pleasure of sexually excited men who are mostly television viewers. Truly, mass media

is a ruinous trigger to child molestation. Most cases of child abuse emanate from the

slums – the core of Philippine poverty in which shanties or “barong-barongs” become the

place of such offenses. Carelessly architectured houses tend to be the main sites,

focusing mainly on the bathroom with holed galvanized iron walls. Through it, men have

a carnal peek on ladies (or even kid?s) bodies taking a bath. In the ghettos particularly in

Manila, incest ranks high to those people with unethical attributes. It is common

nowadays to see such crimes in the headlines of newspapers and tabloids.

Aforementioned above are the problems or predicaments destroying today?s

society. As the days of our lives pass, every complex problem gets solved. In a

democratic country, solutions must be in approval with the people?s affirmation. Thus

forming a solution is like building a tall skyscraper with a limited supply of bricks,

stones, and cement. Through long tiring sessions and debates in the country?s congress,

the Lower House finally sought to approve death penalty due to the rising crime rate and

the necessity for capital punishment is inevitably needed. Death penalty, which was

abolished during the Aquino administration due to the plea of human right officials, was

returned because of the reasons mentioned above. As a plea to the congress, the human

right protesters demanded a more humane way of execution. Much debate was done for

this act and through several arguments of warring political parties, the government

decided to have executions by lethal injection. Leo Echegaray who was mentioned

earlier was the guinea pig for the newly passed bill. Several conclaves including the

Roman Catholic Church supported the Pro-life crowd. According to them it is only God

who can take away the life of a man. The president remained steadfast with his stand and

their supplications were utterly discarded. Like the president, Pro-death groups who are

composed of people want justice to prevail and are insisting death penalty be released on

sinister criminals. Now that Echegaray was executed, would death penalty be a solution

to child abuse?

Most people would answer positively to the question declared above. Yet there

can be plenty of ways to prevent child abuse. Industrialization of the country as an

example would insure reduction of crime rate of the country. As social theory states,

people in the ghettos are mostly jobless or unemployed thus causing them to rape young

children particularly their own kids. Through automation of the Philippine industry,

unemployment would be canceled out and lessen the incidents of child molestation and

several child defilement cases. Anti-crime groups, which include the minute barangays,

can also be a stronghold to fight violence against children. Rigid roundups and patrols

are needed to suppress would-be criminals. Sport complexes and livelihood projects

must be built in order for people not to be idle and passive but to be active and

productive. Idleness as psychological statistics imply is the main root of intimate child

abuses and must be eliminated to halt filthy imaginations. Parental guidance, which can

be very vital to a child?s growing years, must be properly rendered and applied. As an

example, a mother pretends not to see the wails of her child as her baneful husband rapes

his stepdaughter due to shame and livelihood. Through parental guidance, one must give

proper discipline to a child in order for the kid to grow with a sound mind and a healthy

past.

The mass media of course is the primary solution to these problems. Mass media

is the undisputed idol of the people and tend to do what it voices out. Since they have the

power to show illicit films and negative clippings, they must have also the power to

produce penetrating morals to people?s minds. The abolishment of illicit tabloids is a

must for sexual abusers. Discreet discourse on the Philippine movies can also be an

ingredient to proper discipline in the homes of particular people. Likewise, violence and

total nonsense in the Philippine movies and theatre must be minimized. Such solutions

are very simple and through it, peace and harmony would be considered superior.