Community Awareness on the Implementation of Republic Act No. 7610 “Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act” in Pugaan, Iligan City

This study examines the enforcement of Republic Act No. 7610, otherwise known as “Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act,” focusing on respondents’ demographic profile, level of awareness, challenges encountered, extent of implementation, and the relationship among these variables. Utilizing a descriptive-correlational and causal-comparative research design, the study involved 162 randomly selected respondents from various sectors within the community of Barangay Pugaan, Iligan City. Findings revealed that the majority of respondents were young adults, males, and those engaged in informal livelihood sectors. Respondents were found to be generally aware of RA 7610; however, their understanding was more aligned with general features of the law rather than its detailed provisions and reporting mechanisms. The implementation of RA 7610 in the community was perceived as present yet challenged by limited resources, insufficient training among implementers, weak inter-agency coordination, cultural beliefs normalizing corporal punishment, fear of retaliation, and hesitancy in reporting abuse cases. Pearson’s correlation analysis indicated that awareness has a significant positive relationship with implementation, while challenges demonstrated a significant negative relationship with implementation. Furthermore, regression results confirmed that awareness is the strongest predictor of the extent of implementation, explaining half of the variance. The study concludes that enhancing awareness and reducing identified barriers are vital to ensuring effective enforcement of RA 7610. Thus, it recommends strengthening inter-agency collaboration, developing comprehensive training for implementers, and intensifying community-based education initiatives to promote child protection in Barangay Puga-an and similar communities.