The convention on the Rights of the child defines a child as every human
being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child‖.
What is a childhood?
•
Is a time for a boy
or girl from birth until he or she is an adult
•
The more
circumscribed period of time from infancy to the onset of puberty
•
Refers to the time or
state of being a child
•
Defined as an evolving
series of steps, usually constant, towards adulthood shaped by an extensive
array of forces and ideas, that ranged from ethnicity to class, from region to
religion and from gender to politics
•
Connotes a time of
innocence, where one is free from responsibility but vulnerable to forces in
his environment
•
Suggests a period
where one enjoys closeness with parents and shared expectations
What is Adolescence?
•
Came from the Latin
word adolescentia or adolescence meaning to grow up‖
•
The period of psychological
and social transition between childhood and adulthood
•
Defined as the
transitional stage of human development in which a juvenile matures into an
adult
•
Adolescence as a
Modern cultural and social phenomenon
•
Derived from the
Latin noun dolor meaning pain‖
•
The stage where the
person experiences dramatic changes in the body along with development in his
psychology and careers
•
Ages of adolescence
vary by culture though the World Health Organization (WHO) defines it as the
period of life between 10 and 19 years of age Teenager
•
Appearing in the20th
century, a teenager or teen is a person whose age is Anum berending in teen‖, someone from age of 13-19
•
In common usage in
English countries, adolescent‖ and teenager‖ are synonymous
•
Between the early
childhood and teenage years is pre-teen
What are the Rights of Children and
Young Person?
Presidential Decree No.603 dated December 10,1974 listed down the Rights of Children and Young Persons.
The provisions of the Code
regarding such rights are summarized as follows.
All children shall be entitled to the rights herein set forth without
distinction as to legitimacy or illegitimacy, sex, social status, religion,
political antecedents and other factors.
1.
Every child is
endowed with dignity and worth of a human being and has therefore the right to
be born well
2.
Every child has the
right to a wholesome family life
3.
Every child has the
right to a well-rounded development of his personality
4.
Every child has the
right to a balanced diet, adequate clothing, sufficient shelter, proper medical
attention and all the basic physical requirement of a healthy and vigorous life
5.
Every child has the
right to an education commensurate with his abilities and to the development of
his skills
6.
Every child has the right
to be brought up in an atmosphere of morality and rectitude
7.
Every child has the
right to full opportunities for safe and wholesome recreation and activities
8.
Every child has the
right to protection against exploitation, improper influences, hazards and
other conditions and circumstances prejudicial to his physical, mental,
emotional, social and moral developments.
9.
Every child has the
right to live in a community and society that can offer an environment free
from pernicious influences.
10.
Every child has the
right to the care, assistance and protection of the state
11.
Every child has the
right to an efficient and honest government
12.
Every child has the
right to grow up as a free individual
Children Act of 1989
•
A legislative measure
and now the central pillar of law3 and policy relating to children
Common problems faced by
young children in the country
•
Sexual and physical
abuse
•
Child labor
•
Malnutrition
•
Parental neglect
•
Homelessness
Merlinda R. Hernando described the alarming situation of the Filipino Children which is
visible in numerous studies conducted and which showed that in the Philippines,
over 4 Million children are victims of child labor and half of them are exposed
to hazardous condition. About 100,000 of them are abused every year about
300,000roamthestreets. Latest statistics also points to about 7 Million
malnourished children.
Child Advocacy Projects by the Government and
Private Organization
1.
Children‘s hour has
called on individuals and companies to donate an hour of their earnings in
support to programs for the welfare and development of the child and the youth.
2.
―Ang Panaghoy ng mga
Bata‖ of the BPI
Foundation. Provides healing of those children traumatized by calamities like
earthquakes, typhoon, landslides and even food poisoning
Other sponsors of related projects are:
•
Tahanan Outreach
Projects and Services Inc. (TOPS)
•
Create Responsive
Infants by Sharing (CRIBS)
•
Filial Aesculapies
(Daughters of Aesculapies) an all-girls organization from the University of
East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center College of Medicine that decided
to donate a part of its campaign to Children‘s Hour
Physical
and Motor Development of Children and Adolescents
Physical and Motor Development Early Childhood
•
Overall growth is
clearly in height and weight measures
•
Grow this manifested
at the earliest stage- usually following a cephalocaudal. The trend in the
lengthening of the neck and torso, followed by the legs.
•
Brain and neck
develop earlier than legs and trunks following the development occurs from the
center outward
•
Genetic factors
strongly influence physical characteristics according to Tanner,
•
Between ages 6 and 12
-
Large muscles are
coordinated, acquiring more skills rendering them to engage in activities
requiring motor coordination, strength and speed.
-
Children grow 2-3
inches high and adds 6 pounds each year
-
Hand-eye coordination
is also developed
•
Among school-aged
children
-
Development in the
fine motor coordination takes place
-
Uses of hands are
made possible by the maturation of the wrists which is an earlier occurrence
among girls than boys
•
Motor development
improves with age
Middle Childhood
•
Growth occurs in
spurts:
-
For girls it is
between the ages of 6 ½, 8 ½ and 10
-
For the boys it is
approximately 7 ½, 9 and 10 ½
•
Coordination in both
fine motor skills and those involving large-muscle improves
•
Gross motor skills
and hand-eye coordination improve with agility and balance
Adolescence
•
Adolescent growth
spurt – the early signs of maturation
-
For girls there is a
sharp increase in height and weight at age 91/2 and 14 ½ or 15
-
For boys it is
between 10 ½ and 16, adult height attained at age 18
•
Manifestations of
growth differ among boys and girls
•
Girls:
-
widening of the
pelvic to make child bearing easier
-
accumulation of layers
of fat under the skin resulting to a more rounded appearance
•
Boys:
-
develops wider
shoulder
-
longer legs relative
to trunk and longer forearms relative to the upper arms and height
•
eyes growing faster
•
lower jaw usually
becomes stronger and thicker with the incisors of both jaws becoming upright
•
puberty the stage
that brings about the physical differences between males and females