Labor secretary leads anti-child labor and human trafficking program launch

BY: VF DUMAGUETE

July 17, 2012 - Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz led the launching of the Child Labor and Human Trafficking-free Barangay yesterday as part of the government’s effort to intensify its campaign against child labor and human trafficking.

The launching was held at Barangay Azagra in Tanjay City as the pilot barangay in the province of Negros Oriental. Thr program, dubbed as “BATANG MALAYA: Pagtutulungan, Pagpapalaya sa mga Batang Manggagawa”, was launched at Barangay Azagra in Tanjay City, which is also the project's pilot barangay in the province.

This program is expected to address the increasing number of cases of child labor and trafficking in the province.

The project was triggered by the series of interceptions of men and women of minor ages in the ports of Dumaguete recruited to work as domestic helpers in Manila. Three of these interceptions including one person with disability were identified as residents of Barangay Azagra.

Last year, Visayan Forum Foundation, Inc. (VF) and DOLE also rescued a 15-year old domestic worker from the said community who experienced physical and verbal abuse from her employer in Dumaguete City. With the intervention of VF and DOLE the case led to the involvement of the local government of Tanjay City in the child labor and anti-human trafficking issue. The action also brought together the involvement of multi-sectoral and stakeholders to come up with programs that will prevent children from falling into child labor and exploitation.

Funds for different livelihood programs under the DOLE livelihood grants were also turned over to different beneficiaries during the launching. Baldoz stressed in an interview the importance of livelihood programs to address the child labor and human trafficking.

“Ang talagang key nalang para tuloy-tuloy na mawala yung child labor is sustainable livelihood,” Baldoz said.

Baldoz also added that DOLE’s intervention is part of an integrated approach of different government agencies in the prevention and protection of children.

“Hindi po magtatagumpay kung DSWD at CCT lang ang programa. Kailangan po may hanapbuhay. Yung tutugon sa pang araw-araw na pangangailangan,” Baldoz added.

Among these agencies are Department of Education (DepEd) ensuring that children are in schools, Department of Health (DOH) ensuring their health welfare, Philippine National Police (PNP) for security and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the social welfare of children and their families.

Barangay Azagra, through its chairman Felix Mira, also presented their newly created Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC). The said council was created to monitor and assist in the implementation of government programs and policies related to children rights in the community.

During the program, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between DOLE, VF, and Barangay Arzaga to support the program, where the three groups agreed “to join hands and coordinate efforts to implement an intensified and well sustained campaign to prevent and eliminate the worst form of child labor, human trafficking and protect children from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and discrimination and other conditions prejudicial to their development to ensure that all children who are off school are in school.”

Partners who attended as witness of the MOU signing and committed to be involved in the cause were from Department Education, Gender Watch Against Violence and Exploitation, St. Ma. Goretti Foundation, Provincial Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking representatives and local officials from Tanjay City.

After the said launching the LGU of Tanjay committed to conduct series of seminar-workshops regarding child labor prevention and anti-human trafficking advocacies in relation to the implementation of Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act (RA 7610), Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 (RA 9208) and other related laws.