Report on the 6th Global Consultation in Philippines

With a subsidy of Nippon Foundation, Mrs. Otsuki, General Director, Mrs. Omori, General Secretary, and Mrs. Aya Nakamura, Social worker, participated in the 6th Global Consultation held by the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Angels City, Philippines, during August 29 through 31, 2001. The venue for the meeting was the Holiday Inn Resort which is in the premises of former U.S. Army base, and was remodeled after it was returned to the Philippines.

On August 29, the meeting started at 9:00 a.m. with the singing of the national anthem in unison and a performance by the children of the children's home. In Japan, it is unthinkable to include a performance of children dancing and a short play in a program of an international conference. We, participants, were abruptly impressed by the presence of children who need families.

Participants totaled 265. About 40 persons were from overseas and over 220 persons were from the Philippines. Overseas participants besides Japan were from the U.S.A., England, India, Australia, Holland, Canada, Scotland, Thailand, China, Germany, Norway, and Malaysia.

Speech by President Arroyo

To start the conference, Ms. Margaret Lindsay from Scotland made a speech entitled "Influence by the accommodation of children in an institution and a meaning of having families" to explain what kind of families should receive children. Children have the right to grow up in families, but many children are losing families due to divorce or neglect of the parents. In order to protect such children, we assist their natural parents by counseling so that they can care for their children. Also, we investigate the living circumstances of the parents and determine whether they can support their children. In case the natural parents cannot support their children, it is necessary to immediately seek a substitute family. From this viewpoint, she said that it is very important to guarantee (1) identity, (2) good relationship between families and society, (3) sound development of mind, (4) health, (5) education, (6) existence of self in the society, and (7) technical skill for independence.

After the speech, we discussed in several groups about the "promotion of child guidance service and the practice of placement at an early stage". In Group A which General Director Otsuki and social worker Nakamura attended, a discussion was held on the improvement of quality of institutions, practice of placement at an early stage, and fulfillment of policy. Especially for the care of children, it is desirable that specialists in various fields such as nurses, medical doctors, therapists and attorneys collaborate with each other. For this purpose, it is important to expand the networks in local community and to train the local staff. We felt that there is a gap between Japan and the world tendency for temporal institutionalization.

In Group B which General Secretary Omori attended, a discussion was held on the definition of abandoned children and on the necessity for shortening the time of adoption procedures in order to form parent-child relationship. It was also confirmed that counseling for parents is important in consideration of the fact that cases of neglected children due to break-up of parents and of sexual abuse of children are increasing.

Ms. Omori taking part in a radio program

After group discussion, a symposium was held. Emphasis was put on the necessity for support program to protect families and family relationship with relatives, to strengthen employment programs for financial stability, and to develop foster parent programs as a treatment to solve the problems of formation of children by the foster parents, since single mothers, drug addicted people, runaways, child abuse, domestic violence, and collapsed families have been increasing recently.

In the panel discussion, discussion was held on the preparation of rules for the success of open adoption in which the adoptive parents raise a child contacting the natural parent(s) with the help of specialists, and on the necessity of supporting the foster parents caring for handicapped children. A report of a program for confirmation of roots of an adopted child by visiting the birth country after intercountry adoption was also introduced.

Visiting a temporary care home

As a special program, President Arroyo was invited to attend the conference. She is the former Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and knows well the administration of social welfare. She explained with detailed figures the present situation of social welfare, economy and government policy. Especially in the Philippines, there are many poor people who have no alternative but to work overseas. She said that the presence of those who render assistance to them in the countries where they are working is very important and essential.

After the conference, we visited a temporary care home where four children born from an international marriage of a Japanese father and a Filipino mother were living. The Filipino mother is missing and the Japanese father entrusted the children to the home because he could not support them due to financial difficulties. In the home there were also unclaimed children who were repatriated from Japan. Many parents entrust their children to institutions and they are increasing rapidly due to problems while dating or in their international marriage. We discussed with Ms. Soliman, Secretary of DSWD, and social workers an appropriate way of counseling and assistance for those parents.

An opportunity was given to Mrs. Omori to take part in a radio program with Ms. Leon, ex-Secretary of DSWD, to speak about the problems which Philippine people face in Japan.