The Portal is guided by the Core Guidance on New Generation Situation Analysis of children in UNICEF and is centered around the child and the rights of the child as defined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). While children are the primary focus of this analysis, other age groups and categories of young persons as well as their parents, guardians, and caregivers were considered where relevant.
To make clear the distinctions between terms and categories used, the following definitions are used:
- Child: A child means every human below the age of 18 years.[1] Several age groups within the category ‘child’ are considered in detail according to the life cycle approach such as 0-11 months, under 6 months, under five years, 3-4 years, 6-11 years, 12-15 years, 16-17 years, etc..
- Youth: Persons from age 15 to 24 years.[2]
- Adolescent: A person from age 10 to 19 years (broad category) [3]or age 15 to 19 years (as a subgroup of youth and mostly applied to women).
The conceptual framework is visualized by the ‘Wheel of Child Rights’ (Figure 1) which is comprised of the dimensions and subdimensions of children’s rights formed from the various rights in the CRC. Each dimension is a cluster of rights and corresponds to a specific broad outcome area of work for children. A dimension consists of subdimensions that represent more specific sets of key relevant interventions and result areas for children.
The 'Child Rights Analysis' is the core component of the Portal that builds the situation analysis of children. It provides a mapping of past and existing legislative and policy frameworks on children and the stakeholders and their roles and accountabilities. It presents an analysis of the key indicators and data, the bottlenecks and gaps, the equities and inequities, and the risks for children.
The Situation of Children in the Philippines portal is the Philippines' country adaption of the 'Wheel of Child Rights'.
Sub-dimensions include the following components of analysis:
The national overview presents the broader country context for the situation analysis. It covers key information on demographics, political economy and governance, humanitarian risk profile, an assessment of essential products, markets and supply chains for children, and national knowledge, attitudes and practices on child rights. In structuring this overview, the study team drew on the guidance set out within the UNICEF Core Guidance: New Generation Situation Analysis. The Philippines’ national overview answers the following questions:
- How does the broader country context contribute to child rights and the well-being of young people? Conversely, what macro factors exacerbate inequities? What innovative solutions accelerate inclusive development?
- How are institutions systematically achieving their obligations on inclusive services and enabling opportunities for children and young people?
In addition, findings from a legislation and policy analysis are included for each child rights subdimension. This analysis draws on initial drafts of this situation analysis prepared by various experts, and conducted additional analysis to identify, compare and analyse available grey literature, legislation, social policy, budget and expenditure documents. Where relevant, the report also assesses their conformity with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to understand the wider context of child rights’ realization in the Philippines. The legislation and policy analysis sought to answer the question: ‘What policies govern social development and child rights in the Philippines?’
This report’s child rights analysis aims to determine the child rights situation and well-being in the Philippines, as well as progress being made in advancing rights realization in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals. Against each child rights field, it seeks to answer the following questions, in accordance with the UNICEF Situation Analysis Core Guidance:
- Child rights: What progress has been made in achieving children’s rights and well-being across relevant age groups, as defined within the national context, literature and evidence?
Child rights analysis was conducted for all subdimensions, with a full mapping of the indicators included as an annex.
Each of the child rights fields have been systematically analysed and discussed in these Dimensions as follows:
- Survive and Thrive: Every child has the right to survive and thrive with access to nutritious diets, quality primary health care, nurturing practices and essential supplies.
- Learn: Every child has the right to learn and acquire skills for the future.
- Protection: Every child has the right to be protected from violence, exploitation, abuse, neglect and harmful practices.
- Safe and Equitable Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Services: Every child has the right to safe and equitable water, sanitation, and hygiene and sustainable climate and environment.
- Equitable Life Opportunities: Every child has the right to an equitable chance in life.
- Civil & Participation Rights: Every child has civil and participation rights.
The equity analysis reflects the different needs and inequities faced by children and adolescents across each subdimension. It analyzes inequities by gender, disability, region and other categories and characteristics like age, socioeconomic background, ethnicity and religion where relevant. The analysis will focus on deprivations and equity issues specific to each child rights field and subdimension, seeking to answer the following questions from the Core Guidance:
Inequities and deprivation:
- Has progress been unequal?
- How large or deep are the deprivations faced by marginalized groups?
- What are the groups most affected by the deprivation?
- What are the factors driving the deprivation of this specific group / what are the drivers of exclusion?
- Who, among the children who are being left behind, face severe and/or intersecting deprivations and disadvantages, or multiple forms of discrimination that make them likely to be the farthest behind?
- How are various shocks affecting child rights deprivation?
This site seeks to deliver analysis against each of the selected indicators. Limitations in data availability, however, prevented detailed coverage. Where this is the case, it is indicated in the report body.
Bottleneck analysis is included for each subdimension, to supplement and interpret the child rights, risk and equity analysis. It covers supply- and demand-side bottlenecks that contribute to challenges affecting the realization of child rights and well-being.
A risk analysis is included for each subdimension, to set out risks from disaster events may affect future programming and advocacy in the Philippines. The risks are grouped under the following categories: natural hazard, health, conflict, and additional/other. The analysis focuses on the potential impact of such risks in the Philippine context, and for each particular subdimension.