On March 23, CRC Asia hosted a brown bag session with child rights advocates on the role of DNA testing in protecting children. Dr. Maria Corazon A. De Ungria, head of the University of the Philippines DNA Analysis Laboratory of the Natural Sciences Research Institute, provided informative inputs to the discussion which happened at the CRC Asia office in Quezon City, Philippines.
Dr. De Ungria’s presentation contained the following:
I. DNA and the Philippine Justice System
- Value of DNA evidence
- Rule on DNA evidence
- Issues raised against DNA evidence
- DNA evidence in court
II. The DNA Technology
- Overview of DNA forensics
- Use of DNA tests in investigating child trafficking cases
- Challenges in using DNA technology
The group, which composed of CRC Asia staff and child rights advocates from ECPAT Philippines, Miriam College, and Ateneo Human Rights Center, also discussed DNA testing in the context of adoption cases, solving crimes that involve children, as well as identifying victims during massive natural disasters like super typhoon Haiyan, especially children. The group also explored the possibility of using DNA testing to match children survivors to people who claim to be next of kin in order to prevent child trafficking. Dr. De Ungria urged child groups to launch and support policy advocacy for these.
Later, the group touched on recent studies claiming that a history of abuse during childhood is likely to cause chemical changes to children’s DNA which could affect their ability to respond to and rebound from stress.
The brown bag session proceedings can be viewed here in five parts:
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