CHR calls for 'rights-based' justice system for PH youths involved in serious crimes

After the deadly shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University High School, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) called for a "rights-based" juvenile justice system that balances accountability with child protection and addresses the root causes of youth violence.

The tragedy occurred on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) when a Grade 7 student live-streamed himself shooting and killing another student inside a classroom using a body-worn camera before taking his own life. 

Zamboanga Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso told DZBB radio said the shooter live-streamed the attack through a body-worn camera.

Reuters verified a live-stream video of the shooter in the school. The video shows the student entering one classroom and opening fire. He then changed weapons, entered the another classroom and fired more rounds. 

It marks the second high-profile campus shooting in the Philippines in under two months, following a June attack in Tacloban City that left three students dead and roughly 20 injured.

Following an independent probe by its Region IX office, the CHR emphasized that while the violence must be unequivocally condemned, judgment should not precede a full investigation—particularly into how a minor obtained firearms.

CHR said, “Preventing similar incidents requires stronger school safety and child protection mechanisms. CHR calls on government agencies, local government units, schools, families, and communities to strengthen safeguards, including accessible psychosocial and mental health support and measures to prevent children’s access to firearms.”



“Prevention must look beyond the immediate violence and address the conditions that place children at risk while keeping schools safe spaces for learning, development, and peace,” it added.

CHR also urged authorities to examine factors that may have contributed to the child’s actions such as:
access to firearms, 

• family and community support, 

• the school environment, and

•  psychosocial well-being.

Key recommendations from the CHR

Holistic Accountability: A rights-based juvenile justice framework holds minors accountable in age-appropriate ways while recognizing they may also require protection, intervention, and mental health support.

Proactive Safeguards: Government agencies, local authorities, and schools must restrict children’s access to firearms, enhance campus security, and provide accessible psychosocial care.

Media and Public Restraint: The CHR urged journalists to avoid sensationalism, graphic details, and premature assumptions about motives. It also appealed to the public to stop sharing the perpetrator's live-stream video, photographs, or personal identities online.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered law enforcement agencies to conduct a thorough investigation and institute measures to ensure educational institutions remain safe spaces. 

"Our schools are where we entrust our children to learn, to grow and to dream about the lives ahead of them. They must also be among the safest places in our country," Marcos said in a statement.

Reaffirming support for the chief executive's directive, the CHR stressed that accountability, child protection, and violence prevention must work hand in hand.

 “Every school must remain a place where children can learn and grow in safety and dignity,”

the Commission said.

Consideration for the children’s welfare should be the priority, it said, adding thart “Accountability, child protection, and violence prevention need not compete. A rights-based response requires all three.” 

-Paraluman News with a report from Reuters