The Taiwanese Association of the Philippines strongly condemns the People’s Republic of China for turning international airspace into an instrument of political coercion against Taiwan.

Recent reports indicate that, under pressure from Beijing, Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar revoked overflight clearances for the aircraft of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, forcing the cancellation of his planned April 22 visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini. This is not diplomacy. It is coercion in its clearest form.

For Filipinos, this should raise serious concern.

The Philippines knows all too well what coercive behavior looks like. In the West Philippine Sea, Filipino fishermen, sailors, and coast guard personnel have repeatedly faced harassment, intimidation, and obstruction. These acts threaten livelihoods, undermine sovereignty, and disregard international law.

What is happening now follows the same pattern—only in a different arena.

If international airspace can be manipulated today to isolate Taiwan, what is to stop similar pressure tomorrow from disrupting the Philippines’ own freedom of movement, trade routes, or diplomatic engagements?

This is no longer solely a Taiwan issue. It is a regional and global concern.

The skies, like the seas, are part of the global commons. They must remain governed by neutrality, safety, and internationally accepted rules. Once political intimidation determines who may fly and who may not, the foundations of the rules-based international order begin to erode.

Taiwan is a vibrant democracy and a reliable partner to the Philippines. Home to 23 million people, Taiwan elects its leaders freely and contributes significantly to regional trade, technology, investment, and people-to-people ties. It has every right to engage the international community without interference from any external power.

The Philippines understands the value of sovereignty, independence, and freedom. These are not abstract ideals—they are principles tested whenever smaller nations face external pressure.

That is why the international community, especially like-minded democracies, must take a firm and principled stand:

• Reject the weaponization of international airspace and all forms of diplomatic coercion.
• Uphold international law and ensure that global commons—whether seas or skies—remain free, open, and rules-based.
• Support Taiwan’s right to meaningful international engagement without intimidation.

Peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific depend on collective resolve. When coercion is tolerated, it expands. When it is confronted, it is contained.

Today the target is Taiwan. Tomorrow, it could be any nation—including the Philippines.

The question before the region is simple: Will we defend a rules-based order, or allow it to be rewritten through pressure and intimidation?

The answer will shape the future of the Indo-Pacific for generations to come.

Not six kilometers away from my neighborhood, a troubling incident had me thinking about the safety of young students.

On March 23, 15-year-old Isabelle Sophia Tablate was found dead inside a factory in Barangay Santolan, Pasig City. Days earlier, she had been on her way home from school in Quezon City. She last spoke to her father through a messaging app, parted ways with a friend at the LRT Santolan Station, and was seen walking toward the bridge. Then, nothing. Authorities said the cause of death is still under investigation.

Then two days ago, another name began circulating online: Sofia Jen Venice Ambas, 18, reported missing in Cabuyao. Last seen near a commercial strip in broad daylight, her case — like many before it — leaned heavily on public vigilance.

The Philippine National Police recently disclosed that seven Filipino minors had to be rescued and placed under investigation after being drawn into an online network operating gaming platforms. What began as casual interaction with foreign players evolved into closed chat groups where conversations turned darker — idolizing mass shooters, discussing possible attacks, and, more disturbingly, suggesting that participants take their own lives after carrying them out.

Authorities said the case only surfaced after intelligence was shared by foreign law enforcement partners. By then, the psychological conditioning had already taken hold. These were not hardened criminals. They were students — “terminally online,” as police described — slowly nudged toward a worldview where violence is spectacle and life has little value.

A similar pattern emerged in Sydney in 2024, where seven teenagers aged 15 to 17 were arrested following a stabbing incident linked to extremist ideology. Police there moved preemptively, warning that while no exact target had been fixed, the risk of an attack was real.

That convergence — young people, digital platforms, and violent ideologies — is now drawing attention at the policy level. Risa Hontiveros has called for a Senate investigation into online gaming environments, including platforms like Roblox, to establish stricter child safety standards. Her proposal includes mandatory age verification and stronger safeguards against grooming and exploitation — recognizing that these virtual spaces, while designed for play, are increasingly being used to influence and recruit.

It is a necessary move. But legislation, by itself, cannot be the only line of defense.

Because beyond the screens, there is a more immediate question: where is police visibility where it is needed most?

It’s good that the PNP has been driving for a quick two-minute response time (some even less) at crime scenes. But what about presence? What about the simple deterrent effect of officers who are not just two minutes away but actually there?

There was a time when police visibility was not just a campaign but a reality — officers stationed near school gates, patrolling busy streets, watching over the everyday routes students take. Today, even with body cameras and better equipment, that presence feels uneven, especially in areas blind to CCTV coverage.

The Department of Education and the PNP must treat this as a shared responsibility. Patrols in school zones, particularly during dismissal hours, should be a given — not an afterthought.

Because a visible police officer is more than enforcement. It is a calming presence. A signal that someone is watching.

And in moments like these, that presence may be the difference between something prevented and something too late.

*         *         *

SHORT BURSTS. For comments or reactions, email firingline@ymail.com or tweet @Side_View via X app (formerly Twitter). Read current and past issues of this column at https://www.thephilbiznews.com

Even as shifting geopolitics and high-level diplomacy continue to dominate headlines, children — not strategy or statecraft — took center stage in Twin Lakes Hotel Tagaytay at the exclusive screening of “Hope for the Dawn to Come” Wednesday.

Marking the fourth year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine almost to the day, diplomats and guests reacted not with policy analysis, but with emotion, to the first Philippine-produced documentary on Ukraine by THEPHILBIZNEWS.

They described the documentary as a timely and meaningful contribution to international dialogue on the ongoing war in Ukraine. They noted the film powerfully redirects attention to what world leaders should prioritize: the young lives shaped and scarred by conflict.

Ambassador Nicholas Brühl of Switzerland said he was deeply moved, calling the film “really, really touching” and highly relevant.

He expressed gratitude to the filmmakers and stressed that such films deserve wider international screening, including in the Philippines and Europe.

Highlighting the focus on children, he noted that war leaves lasting impact on young lives and praised the resilience, determination, and impressive communication skills of the students featured.

He described the documentary as “a wonderful lesson” and commended the production team for their courage in presenting the realities on the ground.

A historical document of resilience

Ambassador Davide Giglio of Italy underscored continued international solidarity with Ukraine, noting that the conflict has persisted for four years and continues to bring profound humanitarian consequences.

He described the film as an important historical document that reflects resilience, particularly among the younger generation.

Emphasizing the importance of unity and diplomacy, he said sustained dialogue and international cooperation remain essential in pursuing a peaceful resolution.

He also highlighted the value of raising awareness about the realities of war to encourage constructive engagement.

Safeguarding the future generation

For Oleksander Lysak, first secretary of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Philippines, the documentary captured what statistics and geopolitical debates often overlook: the lived realities of children who represent Ukraine’s future.

He stressed that the documentary powerfully captures the current realities in Ukraine, particularly the experiences of children. He expressed concern over the long-term impact of the war on young people and thanked the international community for its continued support.

He called for ongoing solidarity and awareness, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding education, identity, and the future generation amid continuing challenges.

Educator Dr. Denise Brühl commended the documentary’s focus on children’s rights, particularly their right to education and to shape their own future. She said the film clearly demonstrates how young Ukrainians continue to pursue learning, career aspirations, and personal growth despite difficult circumstances.

Describing the documentary as inspiring and meaningful, she encouraged broader international screenings to deepen public understanding and appreciation of the resilience shown by students and communities.

Representing the private sector, Rowena Relucio, General Manager of Twin Lakes Hotel, described the film as eye-opening and said it enhanced awareness of the ongoing crisis.

Expressing hope for peace and recovery, she emphasized the importance of continued international cooperation, responsible storytelling, and collective efforts to support humanitarian understanding.

For his part, Monsi Alfonso Serrano, founder of THEPHILBIZNEWS and film producer and director, said that this legacy project was painstakingly completed for more than three years to challenge the Filipino youth and learn from the courage, perseverance, and resilience of the Ukrainian school children who remain focused in pursuing their dreams while studying in the midst of the war.

These contrasts raise an uncomfortable but urgent question: When the future of work arrives faster than expected, who gets left behind?

That question matters now more than ever, as generative artificial intelligence (AI) begins to reshape work across the Philippines.

A new research brief by the International Labour Organization (ILO) shows that more than one in four jobs or around 12.7 million in total are exposed to generative AI in the Philippines, the highest rate among ASEAN countries with comparable data. Exposure does not mean jobs will disappear overnight. Most will not. But many will change, sometimes quickly, sometimes painfully — demanding new skills, better protection, and deliberate policy choices.

What concerns me most is this: The shift is not gender-neutral.

The same ILO research shows that women in the Philippines face twice the rate of AI exposure as men, particularly young and educated women concentrated in clerical, administrative, and service roles — occupations that AI can automate or fundamentally transform. In regions such as Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon, where digital and business services dominate, women shoulder a disproportionate share of the risk.

Without targeted action, AI could widen existing inequalities, reinforcing barriers that women and young people already face due to poverty, informality, or conflict. Yet this outcome is not inevitable. The same technology can also be a powerful equalizer if we choose to govern it well.

I have seen this possibility firsthand. Through ILO programmes supported by development partners, women-led enterprises in Iloilo, Pampanga, and Siargao Island are using digital hubs, e-commerce platforms, and AI-enabled tools to grow their businesses, increase sales, and raise productivity.

Under our partnership with the Government of Japan, and now through the United Nations Joint Programme Digital PINAS. These women have shown something important: the real constraint is not talent, but access. Systems that fail to keep pace with change hold people back far more than technology ever could.

I am reminded of a young woman who once received an ILO-supported scholarship to study web development under a partnership with J.P. Morgan. With the right support, she built her skills, moved into robotic process automation, and today works as an automation developer in Europe. Her story is not exceptional — it is a clear example of what becomes possible when barriers are removed and pathways into STEM and digital careers are opened.

As a father to a daughter, these changes matter deeply to me. When a girl is given access to quality education, relevant skills, and decent work, she does not merely adapt to new technologies, she helps shape them. Yet for many girls in the Philippines, especially those growing up in poverty or conflict-affected areas, that future remains frustratingly out of reach.

This is why this year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, with its focus on Synergizing AI, Social Science, STEM and Finance, is so timely. The future of work shaped by AI will not be inclusive by default. Inclusion must be designed through policy, investment, and social dialogue.

The ILO’s research points to clear priorities: investing in AI and digital skills for women and youth; embedding STEM pathways early in education; supporting workers through transitions; and financing women-led innovation and enterprises. Women and young people should not be treated merely as workers adapting to AI, but as innovators shaping how it is used.

If we want AI to create decent work rather than deepen divides, we must act now. The message from the ILO’s new research is clear: AI can raise productivity and job quality, but only if no one is left behind.

The future of work is being built today. The real question is whether we build it with inclusion, dignity, and social justice at its core or allow old inequalities to be hard-wired into new technologies.

The 38-minute film — shot over four years in Ukraine, Poland, and the Czech Republic — follows schoolchildren who pursue education and normalcy even as Russian attacks threaten their future.

Monsi Alfonso Serrano, founder and publisher of THEPHILBIZNEWS who took many of the footages himself, said the documentary aims to broaden understanding not only of the Russia-Ukraine war, now entering its fourth year, but also of emerging geopolitical threats that echo far beyond Europe.

“Despite the war they continue to go to school, they don’t care about the bombing. I hope that kind of resilience would resonate with the Filipino youth — valuing studies,” Serrano said.

Film editor Vince Zarate noted that while editing the film, Honey Academy in Kharkiv, which was where some of the films were shot, was later destroyed by relentless shelling.

Ukraine’s ambassador to the Philippines, Yuliia Fediv, said the film serves as a vital counterweight to misinformation and apathy.

“I can give you the numbers — of bombs dropped, schools bombed, children affected, but giving face to the numbers gave the film its power,” Ambassador Fediv said.

Aricel Garcia of Fuji TV, who attended the screening, called the film both “touching” and “powerful,” especially as most of it was told in the voices of the children themselves.

Garcia took note of the Ukrainian ambassador’s message that everyone — diplomats, journalists and citizens — needs to “do their duty and be enlightened of what’s happening in the world.”

Diplomats connected the film’s message to wider fissures in the global order. Israeli Ambassador Dana Kursh said showing the reality through children’s eyes is “amazing.”

EU Ambassador Massimo Santoro, who said he had also been in Ukraine to see the war for himself, framed the documentary within calls for an end to the war, warning that “the bigger victim here is the international rules-based order.”

While “Hope For the Dawn To Come” brings audiences face-to-face with the human toll of war, the geopolitical landscape is shifting in multiple theaters:

Former US President Donald Trump has sought to “acquire” Greenland from Denmark, including talk of military options, alarming European leaders and raising questions about the future of alliances such as NATO.

At the start of 2026, U.S. forces conducted a dramatic operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Experts warn that actions in Venezuela could shape how other nations, including China, gauge the resolve and methods of global powers, with potential implications for security calculations in other regions.

In the Pacific, Taiwan remains at the center of simmering geopolitical competition between Beijing and Washington. Control of Taiwan, together with the West Philippine Sea, given their strategic location and role in global trade and regional defense, remains a flashpoint where the rules-based international order and power politics collide.

“Hope For the Dawn To Come” is a non-commercial documentary produced by The Philippine Business and News (THEPHILBIZNEWS) and rated PG-13 for its educational and inspirational material.

Beyond telling one story of resilience, it invites audiences to reflect on the broader global shifts that are shaping the futures of children in war-torn lands, contested seas, and strategic islands — from Kyiv to the Arctic to the Pacific.

The Philippine Embassy delegation was led by Mme. Geraldine C. Lucero-Santos, and the Migrant Workers’ Office (MWO) in Jordan was represented by Assistant Labor Attaché Jaybee John Vincent Baginda.

Dr. Sana Al-Nuaimat, Director of the Orphanage, and other welfare officers warmly welcomed the visiting officials.

The meeting allowed Embassy and MWO-Jordan representatives to receive updates on the well-being of these Filipino children, commonly referred to as “Filipino minors without formal parental status,” and discuss ongoing efforts to reunite them with their mothers, who are either detained at the Juweidah Women’s Correctional Facility or out on bail, waiting to finalize necessary documentation.

The quarterly visit culminated in a heartfelt interaction, with Embassy and MWO-Jordan officials sharing moments of joy with the children.

In addition, the MWO-Jordan contributed much-needed supplies, including diapers, wet wipes, milk drinks, and toys, all of which were gratefully accepted by the orphanage.

The visit highlighted the ongoing commitment of the Philippine government to support its citizens in distress, especially vulnerable children and families affected by legal complexities.

Government data estimate that over 40,000 Filipinos live in Jordan, a significant portion of whom are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

While the exact number of OFWs is not specified, the majority of Filipino migrants are employed in the household service sector, with around 73% of them working in domestic roles.

A substantial number of these workers are women, who migrate to Jordan seeking employment opportunities. Many of these female migrant workers are employed under the Kafala system, which has been criticized for creating power imbalances and leaving workers vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

Charisse F. Malabanan, the Assistance to Nationals (ATN) Officer, along with ATN and Consular Assistant Mariella S. Masiglat-Balla, Welfare Officer Rosalin R. Lavin, translator Laith Omar Al Haj, and Filipino priest Gerald Metal, were also part of the delegation.

When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, it unleashed more than tanks and missiles. It ignited a storm of human suffering. We saw the headlines: burning cities, shattered homes, fleeing families. What we didn’t see—what cameras couldn’t capture—was the slow, silent robbery of dignity in places too dark for light and too painful for memory.

One such place is Yahidne, a village in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region. Unknown to most of the world, it became a chamber of terror. Over 3,000 Russian soldiers overran the area and locked more than 360 civilians—including 70 children and the elderly—into a school basement. For 27 days, they lived in darkness. And in darkness, the truth rotted—both literally and figuratively.

Children fear the dark. That’s natural. But imagine children confined in pitch blackness, no beds, no toilets—just buckets in corners. Twenty-seven days. No sunlight. No certainty. Only fear.

I can’t begin to describe how unthinkable that is for those of us who weren’t there. The stench alone—urine, excrement, blood, sweat, decay—would make you wish for death rather than endure another minute of it.

This was not a hiding place. It was a prison. These civilians were hostages, human shields. Ten died. Some from disease. Others from despair. Many went mad.

As a Filipino journalist who has witnessed war, I thought my heart was prepared. I was wrong.

In April 2022, I stood in Prague, watching Ukrainians line up at a refugee center. Some clutched plastic bags. Others had nothing. I spoke to a schoolteacher whose building had been bombed. Her voice trembled—not from fear, but guilt. Guilt that she survived while others didn’t.

In May, I traveled through Warsaw and Kraków to Ukraine’s borders. Each kilometer unwrapped another layer of grief: missing sons, mass graves, bombed-out homes. The faces changed, but the stories didn’t. Children I interviewed then still hoped the war would end. It didn’t.

From 2023 to 2025, I returned—not for headlines, but to understand survival. I walked through rubble in Donbas, Kharkiv, Poltava, Kyiv, and Lviv. I listened to stories too raw for broadcast. But Yahidne was different.

Hell on earth

The school basement was a prison of despair. Infants starved. The elderly prayed for a quicker death. Ten corpses—left beside the living for days—decomposed in the foul air.

The smell still lingers.

I descended into that darkness. The chill clung to my skin. Leaking pipes dripped onto a damp floor. Children’s books and toys lay scattered. Mold rotted the wooden desks. The walls seemed to whisper.

Some children had stopped crying—not because they were brave, but because they were too weak. Food was fuel-soaked pasta and moldy bread. Russian soldiers laughed. Some filmed the prisoners as if they were toys.

A witness told me one child fainted when he saw sunlight again. Scratches on the wall marked the days—not counting life, but preparing for death.

I walked the basement’s rooms. I touched the walls. I listened. And I felt the cruelty linger in the silence. This place had no light. No mercy. No reason.

I debated whether to write this. But my duty as a journalist—and a human being—won out. To know the truth, tell the truth, and deliver the truth. If I don’t write this, the story risks being buried. And that’s what Russia wants—to replace truth with propaganda, to drown memory in lies.

As Goebbels once said, “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.”

The witness described how the dead were moved—using a wheelbarrow to a makeshift morgue, just meters away. Survivors buried them with bare hands. I stood there, imagining that moment.

And I realized: this story must be told. It cannot be buried—not in rubble, not in memory, not by the world’s short attention span.

I am Filipino. I come from a country familiar with extrajudicial killings, with impunity, with propaganda amplifying the lies of powerful regimes. That’s why I write this. Not just for Ukrainians. But for every silenced voice.

Yahidne is not just a village. It is a mirror. Their suffering is not fiction.

One mother begged a soldier to let her baby out when it began suffocating. There was no formula, no milk. Mothers tried to soothe their babies with sips of water. It was inhumane.

At one point, the Russians brought newspapers into the basement—Komsomolskaya Pravda—declaring Kyiv and Chernihiv had fallen. “Come out, work for us, and you will live,” they said.

This was not information. It was manipulation.

I remembered Plato’s Allegory of the Cave: prisoners in the dark, seeing only shadows, fed lies as truth. That’s what Russia tried to do—keep people in the dark and make them fear the light. But Yahidne did not submit. They did not believe. They knew the Russians didn’t come to liberate. They came to dominate.

Many far from Ukraine think staying neutral equals peace. But silence, in times like this, is complicity. It is the sin of omission.

That’s why I return—to Donbas, Kharkiv, Poltava, and now Yahidne—not for bylines, but to preserve memory. Because silence only emboldens perpetrators.

These are not numbers. They are people. Mothers. Fathers. Teachers. Children. Their pain is real. Their voices must be heard.

“Move on,” people say. But those who survived Yahidne cannot. I will not.

Somewhere right now, another basement may be filling with silence. Another child may be staring at moldy bread. Another mother scratching marks into a wall.

We must not wait for the world to care. We must make the world care. We must tell the truth—no matter the danger.

The call was made during an internet discussion organized by ChildFund Philippines during its celebration of WEB Safe and Wise: Safer Internet Day 2025 on February 11.

There, youth representatives from various organizations expressed their insights on child online safety and children’s rights in the digital world.

The strongest messages from the youth demanded that parents understand the internet and how children use them, that governments provide strong child protection policies and that tech companies prioritize responsibility over profit.

“Parents must understand that the internet is not the enemy, but a platform for children to learn from and to navigate,” said Ralph, a youth advocate of ChildFund Philippines.

“We ask parents to do their best to understand what children are exposed to on social media so that they can keep us safe from things that are harmful and that makes us uncomfortable,” he said.

Lean, a youth champion, echoed the same challenge to parents whose children may already be experiencing cyberbullying and do not know how to handle it.

“Cyberbullying is committed by persons who also experience bullying, so it is important that parents must know the signs that their children are going through this ordeal,” she said. “If parents become aware, they can immediately take action. It is a first step to stop cyberbullying.”

The appeal for understanding and guidance from parents, guardians, and educators resonated among the youth representatives, who also called for the immediate need to build trust and communication between children and adults to better prevent digital dangers.

Nidhi, another youth ambassador, said, “Tech companies must take responsibility in ensuring that social media platforms protect children users; that they build a digital space that puts children’s rights first.”

The youth ambassador said, “Tech companies collect, analyze and monetize children’s private data for their content and advertising needs, and entice children to be engaged on the internet for as long as possible but for their profit, paying no attention to the protection of their privacy, autonomy and development.”

Nidhi appealed for “the need for stronger protection policies especially in demanding civil society, policy makers, international organizations and tech companies to build a digital world where children learn and interact without fear of being exploited of their privacy violated.”

Jomer, 16, asked his peers to speak up or call the attention of parents and teachers when they feel bullied, harassed or violated on the internet. “We need to report so we can take action and put perpetrators in their place but we also need to be informed, empowered and be digitally literate,” he said.

He called for platforms and websites that are helpful, accessible and non-judgmental for children reporting online abuse. “It is also better to ask and consult children about their ideas of reporting mechanisms are safe to use.”

For Pia, a youth advocate from ChildFund Japan Philippine Branch, it is helpful to “be positive so that it doesn’t come back to you negatively,” an explanation on the importance of “digital kindness” when engaging in social media.

“It’s better to interact nicely because we don’t know people’s intentions on screen,” she said, adding that it is also safe for children to adopt online their parents’ teaching not to talk to strangers.

Allan Nuñez, advocacy and child protection specialist of ChildFund Philippines, said importance children must participate in the discussion of online safety.

“The children and youth have so much power in their hands, because as digital natives, this is their world,” said Nuñez.

“We need to encourage, guide, and support them in taking the lead as they uphold their rights in the digital world, for us to have a safer and better online environment free from all forms of online abuse, exploitation, and violence,” he said.

One in every two Filipino children aged 12 to 17 fell victim to online sexual abuse and exploitation in 2021, according to UNICEF. More than half of children used the internet without supervision, and put boys at equal risk with girls to digital dangers.

The landmark passage of Republic Act 11930 Anti Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children made the Philippines one of the first in East Asia and the Pacific region to address the growing concern. 

WEB Safe and Wise: Safer Internet Day 2025 was led by ChildFund Philippines in partnership with ChildFund Japan Philippine branch, Educo Philippines, ECPAT Philippines, 5Rights Foundation, and Probe Media Foundation. The campaign is part of ChildFund Alliance’s global effort to uphold the rights of children to be protected from all forms of violence, expanding into the area of online spaces.

ChildFund Philippines is a child-focused NGO serving children, youth, and their families in the Philippines since the 1970s. Its primary advocacy is on promoting children’s and youths’ rights and preventing child labor and online sexual exploitation.

A recent work with the Philippine government, NGO partners, private sectors, the media, and child protection champions resulted in the #ShutdownOSEC campaign, introducing OSEC-targeted congressional bills and the increased engagement of OSEC media coverage.

(The last names of the youth are not mentioned here to protect their privacy.)

This is one of the urgent measures proposed by Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in its recent report on the state of TB care for children in 14 high-burden countries.

In a media orientation in Manila on November 29, MSF said that the Philippines is among eight countries accounting for two-thirds of global TB cases. The other countries are India, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The report, titled TACTIC: Test, Avoid, Cure TB in Children, underscores that children with TB remain neglected in global efforts to combat the disease. It reveals significant gaps in national TB policies, with only one country achieving full alignment with WHO guidelines, seven achieving more than 80% alignment, and four falling below 50%.

Critically, only five of the surveyed countries—Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, India, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Republic of South Sudan, and Uganda—have updated guidelines to enable TB treatment in children based on clinical symptoms when bacteriological tests are unavailable. Even fewer countries have allocated resources to implement these guidelines effectively.

The WHO’s 2022 recommendations, including treatment decision algorithms and short, oral treatment regimens, are pivotal in drastically improving TB diagnosis and care for children.

“TB is curable, also in children,” said Stijn Deborggraeve, Diagnostics Advisor at the MSF Access Campaign. “Yet countries are lagging in adopting these solutions. Every delay means more children die unnecessarily.”

The report also highlights the pressing need for newer, child-friendly TB drug formulations and shorter, all-oral treatment regimens. Despite their availability, bureaucratic barriers and funding gaps hinder their procurement, leaving children to endure unsuitable and potentially harmful treatment options.

Dr. Cathy Hewison, Head of the MSF TB working group, emphasized the urgency of addressing these barriers.

“It’s unfortunate that child-friendly formulations of TB drugs are still not available in many countries due to bureaucratic barriers and funding gaps,” she said.

“We call on governments, donors, and global health organizations to act with urgency, ensuring no child dies or suffers from a preventable, treatable disease like TB. The tools and treatments we have must reach the children who need them most – now,” she added.

The WHO estimates that 1.25 million children and young adolescents fall ill with TB annually, yet only half receive diagnosis and treatment. The global TB crisis has worsened, with the disease reclaiming its position as the world’s deadliest infectious killer in 2023, according to the Global Tuberculosis Report 2024 shared by MSF.

The time to act is now, MSF insists. Policymakers, donors, and global health agencies must accelerate efforts to implement WHO’s recommendations and eliminate the disparities in TB care for children.