Jane Doe and John Doe vs. Child Abuse

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And so, it has come to this: libel suits are being thrown at the revolutionaries.  But, here's the twist:

Joe and Diana Suan, parents of the 6-year-old Jan-Jan, filed the libel suit before the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office. Named respondents were child psychologist Dr. Honey Carandang, Grate, Silva, and an undetermined number of "John Does" and "Jane Does". (source link) 

Yep, it's the parents who are suing, not TV5 nor Willie Revillame as earlier expected.

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Dear Mr. and Mrs. Suan, I am truly concerned that no one might have yet really explained to you what is going on here.  The public clamor insists it was inappropriate, it was exploitation, it was child abuse.  You, WR, TV5, etc. keep insisting it was not.

Let's think about this again: What is child abuse?  We have laws that define what that is (e.g., R.A. 7610 - "Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act") but, kids don't understand legalese.  In fact, kids don't understand a lot of things.

You and I were children once.  Parents and guardians are there because they're expected to guide and protect kids through uncharted territories.  As children, we looked up (literally) to our parents and guardians, and we trust them about everything.  It's this innocence and trusting quality that children have that is often mistaken for gullibility.  Kids are actually pretty smart, they're not really completely gullible; they're just quick to believe and to suspend their disbelief because, they don't yet perceive the world with the deepened understanding of malice and heightened defensiveness that people gradually develop as they grow up.  That's just reality.

It is also because of that trusting quality in children that makes being a parent or a guardian challenging -- it is a critical role that gives you huge influence over a vulnerable human being who completely trusts you.  I'm a parent; the responsibility of raising my children fills me with overwhelming joy and a jolting sobriety at the same time because kids are really like sponges -- they absorb, believe, and remember.

Having said that, what a parent or guardian plants in a child, the child will absorb wholeheartedly because s/he trusts you.  So, if a child honestly believes that "macho dancing" is perfectly normal and even cute, where did that idea come from?  And the fact that it was actually inappropriate, the boy can't be expected to know that it was.  A child can't tell!  Who can?  Adults like you and me.  Parents and guardians.

That is what this whole mess is about.  It is child abuse because the child was allowed to do something inappropriate and was repeatedly led to believe it was not.

It really doesn't matter if it was the kid who wanted to "macho dance"; his parents had the power to protect him from being in a potentially compromising situation.  He could have very well done another dance, something that was appropriate for live public TV.  It is possible for kids to be "bibo" without the "shock value".

TV5, I appeal to your better judgment: please think about the consequences of what you're doing now.  You have a nationwide reach; a large influence entails an equally large responsibility to do what is right.

Related links:
DSWD statement on the public clamor for action against Willing Willie, April 14, 2011
Bloggers unfazed by libel raps over Jan-Jan incident