Resources, political will necessary to decrease number of child laborers

Visayan Forum Foundation, Inc (VF) calls for increase in government allocation for programs aimed at addressing the root causes of child labor in the Philippines.  This call was made after the National Statistics Office (NSO) disclosed that there is a significant increase in the number of child laborers in the country.

Visayan Forum Founder and Executive Director Ma. Cecilia Flores-Oebanda expressed her alarm and disappointment over the results of the said survey.

“The increase in the number of child laborers, especially children trapped in worst forms of child labor, is a jarring wake-up call and it clearly demonstrates that anti-child labor programs and the implementation mechanisms that we have at present is just not working,” says Oebanda.

NSO stated in its 2011 Survey on Children that out of the 29.019 million Filipino children aged 5-17 years old, 5.59 million are already working. This is 37 percent higher than the 4 million Filipino working children registered in 2001.   In the same survey, 2.993 million were reported to be in hazardous working condition compared to 2.388 in 2001.

In 2001, the Philippines vowed to decrease the number of children in worst forms of child labor by 75 percent in 2015.  

“Despite this target, we did not see any commensurate investments on the part of our government partners,” observes Oebanda.  “We know that poverty is a major cause but there were very few targeted livelihood and education programs for child laborers and their families.”

Oebanda also called for the strengthening of the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC), the multi-agency coordinating body led by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) that is tasked to oversee programs against child labor.  Oebanda also mentioned that the Committee should be able to work towards the integration of child labor concerns in existing anti-poverty programs and services.

“The NCLC should be provided with the legal mandate, resources, and the competency necessary for it to wage a coordinated and comprehensive initiative against child labor,” states Oebanda. “More importantly, our current leadership will have to demonstrate a stronger political will.”

Oebanda cited the failure to send violators of Republic Act 9231 or the Anti-Child Labor Act of 2003 to jail as evidence that the elimination of worst forms of child labor has not received the attention the issue deserves.  Almost a decade after the enactment of RA 9231, not even a single offender has been successfully prosecuted.

 “We are optimistic that the current Aquino Administration will view this as a challenge and will crack the whip against those who exploit children’s labor,” Oebanda states.  “We need to send a message to the profiteers, syndicates, and employers of child laborers that we will not allow them to enrich themselves to the detriment of our children’s future.”

“Our leaders must realize that this is an urgent issue.  Children in worst forms of child labor simply cannot wait,” Oebanda concludes.