Netizen witnessed mother physically hurting child for sleeping inside a jeep

• A woman witnessed a mother physically abuse her child for dozing off in a jeepney ride
• Concerned netizen cautioned the mother to stop hurting her daughter, before she got off
• The mother apparently chased her and the two began a heated exchange

A netizen described, in a now-viral lengthy Facebook post, her confrontation with a mother, who she witnessed physically abusing her child for not being able to control sleeping during a jeepney ride.

Kim Santos wrote this month on her social media account, “This afternoon, I was on my way to school when I rode a jeepney. I was seated on the right side and in front was a child around 2 or 3 years old. I noticed that she was very sleepy and held the jeepney railing (window side) so that she won’t fall. She got my attention for that. I thought ‘where’s her parents? Is she alone?’ Suddenly, the woman on her side nudged her hard. Siniko nya ng malakas to make the kid awake. Medyo naiinis ako sa ginawa nya. Then, the kid fell asleep again. She’s fighting not to make herself fall asleep.”

She proceeded to recount how the child kept dozing off along the ride, obviously tired, only to be hit on the nape, spanked, and hair pulled by the mother to rouse her—all of which pained and exasperated Santos.

“Before I left the jeepney, sinabihan ko sya ng maayos. Sabi ko, ‘ate, please naman wag mo namang saktan yung bata porket inaantok’. Tsaka ako bumaba. Pero parang di nya nagets. Sumilip pa ko sa bintana ng jeep at sinabing ‘makonsensya ka sa ginagawa mo,’” said Santos.

And just when she was about to get inside a tricycle on her way to Santolan station, the mother apparently chased her and began berating her to keep out of her business. The two then exchanged heated words, where Santos said she could file a complaint to the Women and Child Protection Services for her questionable actions, while the spiteful mother only defended her deed by saying, “Sanay na yan. Ang masama kung pinapatay.

“The three man that were in that scene asked me what happened? I told them that the woman is hurting her child just because the kid was sleepy. The other guy even shouted ‘bata lang naman yan eh.’ Then it hit me. This country isn’t gonna change. As long as there are people who close their eyes on the truth, and the injustice it shows, that can’t speak out for equality and justice,” added Santos.

Her post has garnered 89 thousand reactions and 52 thousand shares, with readers reproving the mother’s abuse.

Back in 2016, a new study of the Council for the Welfare of Children and the United Nations Children’s Fund said that “8 in 10 Filipino children suffer from a form of violence.”

According to Rappler’s report on the study, half of the domestic physical abuse kids suffer are in the form of corporal punishment, such as spanking, pulling the hair, or ear-twisting. A third of these cases involve more severe forms of physical punishment, such as slapping, kicking, attempting to drown, or burning.

The Department of Justice’s site provided ample knowledge on R.A. No. 7610 or Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act (found on their Child Protection Program page), particularly on who can file a complaint and where to take it:

1. Who can file a complaint for child abuse?

• The child victim
• The parent or legal guardian of the victim
• The grandparent, or relative of the child victim up to a first cousin
• The Barangay Chairman
• One of a group of 3 or more persons who have personal knowledge of the abuse

2. Where should a complaint for child abuse be filed?

• Department of Social Welfare and Development
• Police
• Other law enforcement agency