DEPED ORDER NO. 40, S.

2012)
IN RELATION TO R.A. 7610 AND HB 4455
 “POLICY AND GUIDELINES ON
PROTECTING CHILDREN IN SCHOOL
FROM ABUSE, VIOLENCE,
EXPLOITATION, DISCRIMINATION
AND OTHER FORMS OF ABUSE
STATEMENT OF POLICY
 “The State shall defend the
right of children to assistance,
including proper care and
nutrition, and special
protection from all forms of
NEGLECT, ABUSE, CRUELTY,
EXPLOITATION and other
CONDITIONS prejudicial to
their development” (Section 3,
Article XV, 1987 Constitution)
 The 1987 Constitution also provides that all
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS shall inculcate
patriotism and nationalism, foster love and
humanity, respect for human rights….. (Section 3,
Article XV, 1987 Constitution)
 The CONVENTION OF THE
RIGHTS OF THE CHILD (CRC)
aims to protect children from
all forms of physical or mental
violence, injury and abuse,
neglect or negligent treatment,
maltreatment and exploitation,
including sexual abuse.
 The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child is a comprehensive, internationally binding
agreement on the rights of children, adopted by the
UN General Assembly in 1989. It incorporates
children’s:
 Civil and political rights (like their treatment
under the law)

 Social, economic, and cultural rights (like an

adequate standard of living)

 Protection rights
(from abuse and exploitation)
ACCORDINGLY….

The Department of
Education reiterates a
ZERO TOLERANCE
POLICY for any act of
child abuse, exploitation,
violence, discrimination,
bullying and other forms
of abuse.
 It refers to any person below
eighteen years of age; OR

 Those over but are unable to fully

take care of themselves from
abuse, neglect, cruelty,
exploitation, or discrimination
because of a physical or mental
disability or condition (R.A. 7610)
 But for purposes of the DepEd Order, the term also
includes pupils or students who may be eighteen
(18) years of age but are at SCHOOL.
It refers to the maltreatment of a child, whether habitual
or not, which includes any of the following:
1. Psychological or physical abuse, neglect, cruelty,
sexual abuse and emotional maltreatment;
2. Any act by deeds or words which debases,
degrades or demeans the intrinsic worth
and dignity of a child as a human being;
3. Unreasonable deprivation of the child’s basic
needs for survival, such as food and shelter, or
4. Failure to immediately give medical treatment to
an injured child resulting in serious impairment
of his or her growth and development or in the
child’s permanent incapacity or death.
(Section 3, R.A. 7610)
It refers to an act of exclusion, distinction, restriction, or
preference which is based on any ground such as:
 AGE
 ETHNICITY
 SEX
 SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY
 LANGUAGE
 RELIGION
 BEING A CHILD IN CONFLICT WITH THE LAW (R.A. 9344)
 BEING PREGNANT
 DISABILITY OR OTHER STATUS OR CONDITION
 Which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or
impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise
by all persons, ON EQUAL FOOTING, of all rights
and freedoms.
 It refers to the use of children for someone else’s
advantage, gratification, or PROFIT often resulting in
an unjust, cruel and harmful treatment of the child.
 These activities disrupt the child’s normal physical or
mental health, education, moral or social emotional
development.
 SEXUAL EXPLOITATION  ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION
(R.A. 9231)
A single act or a series of acts committed by school
administrators, academic and non – academic
personnel against a child, which includes:
1. PHYSICAL VIOLENCE
 Acts that inflict bodily or physical harm. It includes
assigning children to perform tasks which are hazardous
to their physical well-being.
2. SEXUAL VIOLENCE
 It includes, but not limited to the
following:
a) Rape, sexual harassment, acts of
lasciviousness, physically attacking the
sexual parts of the victim’s body.
b) Forcing the child to watch obscene
publications and indecent shows;
c) Acts causing or attempting to cause the
child to engage in any sexual activity by
force, threat or force, coercion or through
inducements, gifts, or favors. (R.A. 7877)
3. PSYCHOLOGICAL VIOLENCE
 Acts or omissions causing or likely to cause
mental or emotional suffering of the child

4. OTHER ACTS OF VIOLENCE

 Physical, sexual or psychological nature that are
prejudicial to the best interest of the child.
 It refers to willful aggressive behavior that is
directed towards a particular victim who may be
out-numbered, younger, weak, with disability, less
confident, or otherwise vulnerable.
1. BULLYING (per se) is committed when a
STUDENT commits an act or a series of acts
directed towards another STUDENT or SEVERAL
STUDENTS which may result in physical and
mental abuse, harassment, intimidation, or
humiliation.
It includes any one or more of the
following:
a) THREATS to inflict a wrong upon the person, honor
or property of the person or on his or her family;
b) STALKING or constantly following or pursuing a
person in his or her daily activities with unwanted
and obsessive attention;
c) Taking of property;
d) PUBLIC HUMILIATION or public and malicious
imputation of a crime or a vice or defect, whether
real or imaginary, or any act or omission, status,
or circumstance tending to cause dishonor,
discredit or expose a person to contempt;

e) Deliberate destruction or defacement of, or

damage to the child’s property;
f) PHYSICAL VIOLENCE committed upon a
student, which may or may not result to harm or
injury, with or without the aid of a weapon;

g) DEMANDING OR REQUIRING SEXUAL

FAVORS, or exacting money or property from a
pupil or student; and

h) Restraining the liberty and freedom of a pupil or

student.
any conduct defined as a “BULLYING ACT” but is
committed through ELECTRONIC means or other
TECHNOLOGY, such as but not limited to:
• TEXTING
• EMAIL
• INSTANT MESSAGING
• CHATTING
• INTERNET
• SOCIAL NETWORKING
• WEBSITES
• OR OTHER PLATFORMS OR FORMATS
 It refers to a kind of punishment or penalty
imposed for an alleged or actual offense, which is
carried out or inflicted, for the purpose of
DISCIPLINE, training or control, by a teacher,
school administrator, an adult, or any child who
has been given or has assumed authority or
responsibility over the child.
It includes physical, humiliating, or degrading
punishment, including, but not limited to the following:
a) Blows such as beating, kicking, hitting, slapping, or
lashing of any part of the child’s body, with or
without the use of an instrument such as but not
limited to a cane, broom, stick, whip or belt;

b) Striking the child’s face or head;

c) Pulling hair, shaking, twisting joints, cutting or
piercing skin, dragging, pushing or throwing a
child;

d) Forcing a child to perform physically painful or

damaging acts such as but not limited to holding
weight or weights for an extended period and
kneeling on stones, salt, pebbles, or other
objects;
e) Depriving of a child’s physical needs as form of
punishment;

f) Deliberate exposure to fire, ice, water, smoke,

sunlight, rain, pepper, alcohol or forcing the
child to swallow substances, dangerous
chemicals, and other materials that can cause
discomfort or threaten the child’s health, safety
or sense of security;
g) Tying up a child;

h) Confinement, imprisonment, or depriving the

liberty of a child;

i) Verbal abuse or assaults, swearing or cursing,

ridiculing or denigrating a child;
j) Forcing the child to wear a sign, to undress or
disrobe or put anything that make a child look or
feel foolish, which belittles or humiliates the
child in front of others;
k) Permanent confiscation of personal property of
pupils, students and learners, except when such
pieces of property pose danger to the child or to
others; and

l) Other analogous cases

 Is a way of thinking and a holistic, constructive, and
pro-active approach to teaching that helps children to
develop appropriate thinking and in the short and
long – term and fosters self-discipline.
 It refers to an approach seeking to immediately
correct the behavior of a child, to teach a lesson,
give tools that build self-discipline and emotional
control, and to build a good relationship with the
child by understanding the child’s needs and
capabilities at various ages and the behavior that is
usual for a child at each stage of development.
 Among the positive and non – violent techniques for
disciplining a child which can be promoted include:

a) BEAT – THE – CLOCK

A motivation technique that uses the child’s
competitive nature to encourage completion of
tasks on parent’s timetable.
b) GRANDMA’S RULE
 A contractual agreement that allows a child to
do what the child pleases as soon as what the
parent/teacher wants has been done.
c) NEUTRAL TIME
 Taking advantage of the time that is free from
conflict, such as when the tantrum has passed and
the child is calm and receptive to teach new
behavior to the child;
d) PRAISE
 A verbal recognition of a behavior that a parent
wants to reinforce.
e) REPRIMAND
 A statement that includes a command to stop the
behavior, the reason why the behavior should stop,
and an alternative to the behavior
e) RULE
 A pre determined behavior expectation that
includes a stated outcome and consequence
g) TIME OUT
 To take the child out of a situation because of
inappropriate behavior, making the child face a
blank wall for several minutes or until the child
calms down;
h) RESPONSIBILITY BUILDING
 Making a child perform age – appropriate simple
household chores.
 All public and private elementary and secondary
schools shall establish a Child Protection
Committee composed of the following:
a) School Head/Administrator – Chairperson
b) Guidance Counselor/Teacher – Vice Chairman
c) Representative of the Teachers as designated by
the Faculty Club
d) Representative of the Parents as designated by
the PTA
e) Representative of the pupils, students and
learners as designated by the Supreme Student
Council
f) Representative from the community as
designated by the Punong Barangay, preferably a
member of the Barangay Council for the
Protection of Children (BCPC).
1. Upon the filing of a complaint or upon notice by a
school personnel or official of any bullying or peer
abuse incident, the same shall be immediately
reported to the principal;
2. The principal shall inform the parents or
guardian of the victim and the offending child in
a meeting called for the purpose;

3. The victim and the offending child shall be

referred to the CPC for counseling and
interventions;
4. The penalty of REPRIMAND, if warranted, may
be imposed by the School Head in the presence
of the parents and guardians.
1. After the offending child has received counseling or
other interventions, the penalty of SUSPENSION for
not more than ONE WEEK may be imposed by the
School head, if such is warranted.

2. During the period of suspension, the offending child

and the parents or guardians may be required to
attend further seminars and counseling.
In case the imposable penalty is SUSPENSION,
EXCLUSION OR EXPULSION, the following requirements
of due process shall be complied with:
a) The child and the parents or guardians must be informed
of the complaint in writing;
b) The child shall be given the opportunity to answer the
complaint in writing, with the assistance of the parents or
guardian;
c) The decision of the school head must be in writing,
stating the facts and the reasons for the decision;
d) The decision of the School Head may be appealed, as
provided in existing rules of the Department.
 In case bullying results in serious physical injuries
or death --- the case shall be dealt with in
accordance with RA. 9344 and its IRR.
The following acts are hereby prohibited and
shall be penalized in ADMINISTRATIVE
PROCEEDINGS as GRAVE OR SIMPLE
MISCONDUCT depending on the gravity of the
act and its consequences:
1. Child abuse
2. Discrimination against children
3. Child Exploitation
4. Violence against children in school
5. Corporal punishment
6. Any analogous or similar acts

 DATE OF EFFECTIVITY: MAY 14, 2012