ZAMBOANGA CITY — City Mayor Celso Lobregat Wednesday led government agencies, academe and children organizations in the observance of World Day Against Child Abuse at the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) gymnasium here.

Lobregat gave recognition and emphasized the importance of child protection from all sorts of abuses even as he added that the success of the program would largely depend on the cooperation of the community and the village officials.

“I am happy the barangay officials are here because the success of this program would depend on their cooperation,” Lobregat said.

The program was in preparation for the forthcoming International Day on Prevention of Child Abuse which is scheduled Thursday.

Dr. Milabel E. Ho, WMSU vice president for research extension and development, lauded Lobregat for his participation in the program which, she said, aims to mobilize and educate local governments and societies to take action to prevent child abuse.

Ho cited a 2004 report by the Women’s World Summit Foundation, a coalition of women and children organizations, which showed that an estimated three-million children were alleged to have been victims of physical, sexual, verbal and emotional abuse, neglect, abandonment and death.

After investigations, almost 900,000 of the children were found to have been victims of child maltreatment.

Child maltreatment refers to an adult’s action or failure to take action that results in the physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect and medical neglect of a child or presents a risk to seriously harm a child.

While emotional abuse is one of the most common and harmful forms of child maltreatment and can have a lifelong impact – affecting children’s ability to feel safe and loved, the way they relate to others and their self-esteem, according to the report.