Government urged to equip parents with ‘necessary tools’ to fight child labor

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Wednesday urged the government to equip parents with the “necessary tools” against child labor so that children are raised in a safe environment.

The CHR made the statement after the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported that at least 90,000 children have been rescued from doing harmful work since 2018.

DOLE guidelines define child labor as any work or economic activity performed by children under 18 years of age that subjects them to any form of exploitation.

The CHR lauded DOLE for the “evidence-based and child-centered approach to address a pressing child rights issue.”

Citing the figures form the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the commission said there has been a 70% decline in the number of child laborers in 2020 compared to 2011.

It added that from around 2.1 million a decade ago, it was down to 596,900 in 2020.

“Ending child labor requires strong political will from our leaders and harmonized efforts among key sectors,” the CHR said in a statement.

“With this positive development, the Commission hopes for the continued efforts of our government to equip parents with the necessary tools and means so children are raised in a safe environment where their physical, mental and psychosocial health are nurtured,” the commission said.

“Let us not deny our children of their childhood and their potential. Invest in their future by upholding their dignity, freedoms, and fundamental human rights,” it furthered.

The DOLE earlier reported that the cases of online sex abuse and exploitation in children reached 264% amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

This “alarming” rate of increase could be attributed to the Philippines’ affordable and easily accessible internet packages, according to a study by the Institute of Labor Studies (ILS).

Other reasons for the proliferation of online sex abuse and exploitation among children in the country could be due to the robust money transfer infrastructure, high proficiency in the English language, and widespread poverty, the study noted.

To help address the issue of poverty in the country, DOLE said it provides a number of social amelioration packages for families of identified child laborers. — Richa Noriega/BM, GMA News