Manila, Feb. 7 -- The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) has underscored the urgent need for stronger child protection measures despite a slight drop in reported cases of child abuse.

In a media briefing at the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) on Friday, CWC Undersecretary Angelo Tapales said the fight against child abuse should take a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach through strong cooperation between government agencies and private stakeholders.

Tapales said data from the Philippine National Police Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC) showed that a total of 18,089 cases of child rights violations were reported in 2024 --slightly lower than 18,756 cases recorded in 2023.

He, however, said there is...