Clad in eye-catching costumes, bold slogans, and beams of confidence, children took the runway at the Turn the Tide: A Benefit Fashion Show for Children’s Rights, Just Peace, Justice, and Collective Action, held at the Commission on Human Rights in Quezon City today, November 29.
The benefit fashion show, organized by Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns, Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC), and Parent’s Alternative on Early Childhood Care and Development Inc. (PAECCDI), along with other child advocacy organizations, underscored the importance of creativity and advocacy for children’s rights to mark the National Children’s Month.
Children’s situation under the Marcos Jr. administration
According to Salinlahi, at least 1,267 child-related rights violations were documented in communities impacted by counterinsurgency campaigns between June 2022 and early 2024.
These cases range from bombing raids across Samar, Negros, Agusan, Cagayan, Mindoro, Kalinga, and other provinces that have displaced families and left young people deeply traumatized, to incidents of illegal arrest, abduction, and the detention of minors.
Some of the parents of detained children, including newborns, were even red-tagged and pressured into “surrendering” or returning to the fold to the government. The group further lambasted the presence of military encampments within these communities, which have exposed children to intimidation, constant fear, and interruptions to their education.
“These cases paint a grim picture of heightened militarization, where children are placed directly in the crossfire, targeted by harassment, or deprived of safety and stability. They also clearly contradict the administration’s baseless claims that justify the Philippines’ removal from the annexes of the UN Monitoring of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC),” they said in a statement.
Turning the tide
The fashion show featured pieces created by children and child-rights advocates, highlighting urgent concerns such as corruption, malnutrition, and violence against children.
The program also included performances by children. In one song, children voiced their hopes to learn, play, and fully enjoy their childhood, and, importantly, to come together and get organized.
“This benefit fashion show is more than a performance. It’s a call to action for children living amid poverty, corruption, violence, and injustice. We want to amplify their voices, give them a space to share their stories, and show that a better future is possible if we act collectively,” Salinlahi noted.
As Children’s Month comes to a close tomorrow, which also marks Bonifacio Day, Salinlahi along with children and child rights advocates are set to turn the tide and return to the streets to demand accountability from those involved in the anomalous corruption under Marcos-Duterte administration and advocate for a safer and more just future for all children.
