Short answer. Yes. RA 7610 states that children shall be given priority during evacuation as a result of armed conflict, and that they must be accompanied by persons responsible for their safety. Children in armed conflict are now primarily governed by Republic Act No. 11188 (2019), which carries this principle forward.
What the law says
Children shall be given priority during evacuation as a result of armed conflict.
RA 7610, Section 23 — Evacuation Of Children. Read the full provision →
Children go first
The rule is stated plainly: "Children shall be given priority during evacuation as a result of armed conflict." When people are being moved out of an area because of fighting, children are to be at the front of that effort, not left to the end. This sits within the law's larger declaration of children as Zones of Peace, and it reflects a simple reality — children are the least able to fend for themselves when a community has to flee, so the law fixes their priority rather than leaving it to chance or to whoever happens to be organising the evacuation.
Priority, but not alone
Moving children first is only safe if they are not lost in the process, and the section addresses that too. It directs that existing community organizations be tapped to look after the safety and well-being of children during evacuation operations, and that measures be taken to ensure children are accompanied by persons responsible for their safety and well-being. So priority is paired with supervision. The concern behind these words is the danger that evacuation itself creates for a child — separation from family, and the risk of a lone child being exploited in the chaos that follows displacement.
Who has to observe this
Like the other Zones of Peace policies, this is a duty on the State and on those who carry out evacuation operations during armed conflict — the authorities and organisations managing the movement of a population. It is not merely advice to parents. The point is to build the protection of children into how an evacuation is planned and run, so that their priority and their safe accompaniment are treated as requirements of the operation rather than afterthoughts. A child's welfare is meant to shape the logistics, not to be sacrificed to them.
The current framework: RA 11188
This principle still holds, but it no longer stands alone. Republic Act No. 11188 (2019), the law on the special protection of children in situations of armed conflict, now provides the definitions, the detailed protections, and the state responsibilities for children affected by conflict, including their evacuation and safety. Anyone facing a real situation should read this provision together with RA 11188, which is the operative framework today. This is general information about the protection the law provides, not advice on a specific situation.