Child Prisoners in the Philippines (international documentary)
Summary
TLDRIn the Philippines, children as young as nine are jailed alongside adults for minor offenses. The overcrowded Sabu City prison houses 1,800 inmates, including children who suffer from lack of basic amenities and are at risk of abuse. Esperanza Valena, an 84-year-old lawyer, offers pro bono representation, while her daughter Nina runs educational programs to help these children. Despite laws against mixing minors with adults in prison, children are left vulnerable, and many are re-incarcerated after release, highlighting a dire need for juvenile detention centers and educational support.
Takeaways
- 🇵🇭 In the Philippines, children as young as nine can be charged and convicted of criminal offenses.
- 👨👧👦 Thousands of children are incarcerated in adult prisons for minor crimes.
- 👦 Tommy, an 11-year-old, has been to prison three times, with his first incarceration at age eight.
- 🏭 In the southern Philippines, political unrest and economic instability lead to children seeking work and becoming addicted to substances.
- 👨👦 Danny, nine, was jailed with his brother and friend for stealing six cans of sardines.
- 🌆 Fore City prison, designed for 200, now houses 1,800 prisoners, with no segregation between adults and minors.
- 👵 Esparanza Valena, an 84-year-old lawyer, offers pro bono representation to children in Sabu City prison.
- 🚫 It's illegal to jail children with adults in the Philippines, but authorities circumvent this by housing them in separate cells with open doors at night.
- 💧 Prisoners get water to wash only when it rains, highlighting the harsh conditions.
- 📚 Twice a week, children in Sabu City prison are allowed to attend a literacy program run by the Shar child movement.
- 🏡 The Valena family has helped educate over 3,000 children to keep them out of jail, focusing on the brightest and poorest.
- 🔄 Despite his release, Tommy returned to prison for stealing three months after being freed.
Q & A
What is the minimum age at which children can be charged with a criminal offense in the Philippines?
-Children as young as nine years old can be charged and convicted of a criminal offense in the Philippines.
How old was Tommy when he first went to prison?
-Tommy was eight years old when he spent his first night in prison.
What are some of the reasons children in the southern Philippines end up in prison?
-In the southern Philippines, political unrest and economic instability force children to leave their homes in search of work, leading some to become addicted to substances like glue or shaboo, a derivative of cocaine.
What was the original capacity of the Fore City prison?
-Fore City prison was originally constructed to house 200 prisoners.
How many prisoners does Fore City prison currently contain?
-Fore City prison now contains 1,800 prisoners.
What is the main issue with the prison mentioned in the script?
-The main issue is the lack of segregation between adults and minors, with some adults charged with heinous crimes like rape, robbery, and murder.
Who is Esparanza Valena and what does she do for the children in Sabu City prison?
-Esparanza Valena is an 84-year-old grandmother and lawyer who offers free legal representation to children in Sabu City prison.
What is the term used to describe the environment in the prison that influences children to commit more crimes?
-The prison is referred to as the 'University of Crime' due to its influence on children to commit more crimes.
How does the Shar child movement help children in Sabu City prison?
-The Shar child movement runs a literacy program twice a week, allowing children to leave their cells and learn, with the aim of helping them adjust to life in the community and potentially become assets.
What is the Valen family's approach to keeping children out of jail?
-The Valen family believes in educating children to keep them out of jail, focusing on the brightest and the poorest by assessing their intelligence and home conditions.
What happened to Tommy after he was released from prison?
-Three months after being released from prison, Tommy was caught stealing and returned to prison, where he is being minded by an uncle in one of the adult cells.
What is the status of the juvenile detention center in Sabu City?
-Plans for a juvenile detention center in Sabu City were approved a decade ago, but due to lack of funds, the building is still not finished.
Outlines
🏭 'Children in Prisons: A Glimpse into the Philippines'
The video script discusses the plight of children in the Philippines who can be charged and convicted of criminal offenses, with many ending up in adult prisons for minor crimes. It introduces Tommy, an 11-year-old who has been in prison three times, with his first night in prison at the age of eight. The script highlights the issues of political unrest and economic instability in the southern Philippines, which force children to leave their homes in search of work, leading to addiction and imprisonment. It also describes Sabu City prison, which was built for 200 but now houses 1,800 prisoners, with no segregation between adults and minors, leading to a situation where children are exposed to hardened criminals. The narrative also introduces Esparanza Valena, an 84-year-old lawyer who offers hope to these children by representing them in court.
🚫 'Illegal Detention of Children and the Fight for Justice'
This paragraph focuses on the illegal practice of detaining children with adults in the Philippines, despite laws against it. Local authorities circumvent the law by housing children in separate cells, but these cells are not secure, leaving the children vulnerable at night. The script describes the harsh conditions in which these children live, such as waiting for rainwater to wash, and contrasts this with the situation in Sabu City prison, where children are allowed to attend a literacy program twice a week. Esparanza Valena and her daughter Nina, who runs the Shara Child Movement, are highlighted as key figures in educating and advocating for these children, aiming to keep them out of jail by providing education and support.
🏡 'Reintegration and the Struggle to Escape the Cycle'
The script follows Tommy's release from prison after serving a 4-month sentence and his return to his mother's home on the outskirts of Sabu City. It captures the tension between Tommy's parents regarding his future. Despite plans for a juvenile detention center in Sabu City, a lack of funds has left the project unfinished, and Tommy, like many other juveniles, remains at risk of reoffending. The narrative also touches on the broader issue of around 9,000 juveniles detained in adult prisons throughout the Philippines.
🔁 'The Relapse: Back to Prison'
Three months after his release, Tommy is caught stealing again and returns to prison, this time under the supervision of an uncle in one of the adult cells. The script ends on a somber note, reflecting the challenges faced by children like Tommy in breaking the cycle of crime and imprisonment.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Philippines
💡Criminal Offense
💡Adult Prisons
💡Political Unrest
💡Economic Instability
💡Substance Abuse
💡Juvenile Detention
💡Overcrowding
💡Segregation
💡Rehabilitation Center
💡Pro Bono
💡Literacy Program
Highlights
In the Philippines, children as young as nine can be charged and convicted of criminal offenses.
Thousands of children are jailed in adult prisons for minor crimes.
Tommy, aged 11, is in prison for the third time, with his first night in prison at age eight.
Political unrest and economic instability in the southern Philippines is forcing children to leave their homes in search of work.
Many children become addicted to inhaling glue or 'shaboo', a derivative of cocaine.
Danny, aged nine, is in jail with his brother and friend after stealing six cans of sardines.
The Fore City prison was built for 200 prisoners but now contains 1,800.
There is no segregation between adults and minors in the jail, leading to a 'University of Crime'.
Esparanza Valena, an 84-year-old lawyer, offers free legal representation to children in Sabu City prison.
It is against the law to jail children with adults in the Philippines, but there are virtually no juvenile detention centers.
Children in Sabu City prison are scared to sleep for fear of being raped.
The Shar child movement runs a literacy program for the children in Sabu City prison.
The Valena family has helped educate over 3,000 children from the Sabu slums.
The Valena family believes education is key to keeping children out of jail.
Tommy plans to return to his mother's home on the outskirts of Sabu City after his release.
Tommy's parents argue about their son's future two days before his release.
Tommy is released after serving a 4-month sentence but is caught stealing again and returns to prison.
Transcripts
[Music]
in the Philippines children of nine can
be charged and convicted of a criminal
offense thousands of children are jailed
inside adult prisons for the pettiest of
crimes
[Music]
Tommy is 11 this is his third time in
prison his first night Behind Bars was
at the age of
eight
[Music]
fore
spe
[Music]
[Music]
for in southern Philippines political
unrest and economic instability is
hurting the poorest
families children are forced to leave
their homes in search of
work many become addicted to sneak in
glue or to shaboo a derivative of
cocaine Ito spent his 10th birthday in
prison
huh man I'm
Tomy and doing time in subbu City
prison locals call this place the new
life re Rehabilitation
Center many children will spend months
here before they even go to trial others
get forgotten and have to stay long
after their sentence is
finished Danny is nine he ended up in
jail along with his brother Joseph and
friend Ben after stealing six cans of
sardines
for
foree Fore
City prison was originally constructed
to house 200 prisoners it now contains
1,800 the jail in the city is very
congested but the
greater uh the greater problem is there
is no segregation between the adults and
the
minors now these adults some of them are
charged with heinous crimes
rape uh robbery
murder and with these children
associating freely with these adults you
can just imagine I've called it the
University of
crime
morning esparanza Valena is an
84-year-old grandmother and
lawyer she offers the only hope to some
of the children who end up in Sabu City
prison she represents them in court for
free it's against the law to jail
children with adults in the Philippines
but there are virtually no juvenile
detention centers anywhere in the
country local authorities get around the
law by housing the children in separate
cells but the door to the children's
cell at Sabu is left open at night the
boys are too scared to fall asleep for
fear of being raped
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
p
cityan
[Music]
magang the do prisoners get water to
wash the children must wait for rain
[Music]
B
for and then but the boys in Sabu City
prison are luckier than children in
other jails
twice a week they're allowed to leave
their stifling cell to attend a literacy
program run by the Shar child
movement Valen Sona has been running
these programs for over 20
years what we trying to do
is to influence the boys so that when
they come out of jail they will be
better boys they will be able to adjust
to life in the community and if possible
to be assets instead of abilities to the
community esparanza Valena has nine
children of her own her daughter Nina is
also a lawyer and runs the Shar a child
movement the Valen owners have helped
educate over 3,000 children from the
Sabu
slums to keep children out of jail is to
send them to
school and also I believe that when they
are in school they are less prone to to
take
drugs our our concept is
that since there are so many children
and we cannot take care of all of them
you have to choose the brightest and the
poorest so we gauge the intelligence of
the child through interviews and through
his report
cards but our social worker goes to
their home home homes to really check on
their source of income the way they live
the the house they live in all that and
how much the bread winner if there's a
bread winner uh earns
[Music]
Tommy grew up here on the outskirts of
Sabu
City Tommy plans to return here to live
with his mother when he gets out of
jail two days before he released Tommy's
mother and father are arguing about
their son
spee
[Music]
fore
for
for
Fore
[Music]
fore
fore
foreign
foreign
spee
fore fore
[Music]
[Music]
there are now around 9,000 juveniles
detained in adult prisons throughout the
Philippines plans for a juvenile
detention center in Sabu City were
approved a decade ago but lack of funds
mean the building is still not
[Music]
finished Tommy's time in jail is now at
an end he's finished his 4mon sentence
and today he's being released Hae
[Music]
[Applause]
narissa the social worker from Shar a
child is here to pick Tommy
[Music]
up gan
Ka
[Music]
3 months after he was released from jail
Tommy was caught
stealing he's back in prison where he's
being minded by an uncle in one of the
adult cells
[Music]
ie
fore
foreign
spee foree
[Music]
[Music]
speee for
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