The world of RP’s 4 million child workers

“PROSTITUTION” to pay for school fees is just one of the many guises of children in the Philippine flesh trade.

Child prostitution takes many appearances, from stripping and indecent dance; massage; guest relations; mobile sex trade in streets and malls; on board docked ships or boats; and outright sex slavery in sex dens.

Nobody really knows how many Filipino children are in the sex trade, but they could number up to 100,000, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Most are girls, but the number of boy prostitutes is increasing.

Many are recruited from the provinces, their appeal is the “freshness” factor.

These children are exposed to the AIDS virus and sexually transmitted diseases, while many risk physical violence and failing health from long and unholy work hours.

They suffer from harmful psychological stresses, development of distorted values, economic exploitation, lack of love and affection, breakdown of family ties, loss of self-worth and endangered lives if they decide to quit.

Shocking it may be but there is more to child prostitution than meets the eye. It is just one facet of the horrors daily served to children working in what the ILO calls the worst form of labor, be it on the street or in the sea.

Children fishers

Loneliness at sea and dangerous daily work during fishing months take a heavy psychological toll on more than 200,000 Filipino children 5 to 17 years old who are fisherboys.

A typical day lasts up to 15 hours. And because they do not use protective gear, they suffer from decompression symptoms, harsh weather, cuts, bruises, skin diseases, sore eyes, body burns, hearing impairment and paralysis.

Many of the child fishers are exposed to physical, chemical and biological hazards—and maltreatment at the hands of cruel masters.

Child ‘sacadas’

Then there are child sacadas in plantations. These have the highest number of child laborers numbering over two million. According to the National Statistics Office (NSO), 1.4 million are below 15 years old and seven out of 10 are boys.

They clear and prepare land and do the weeding, harvesting, applying fertilizers and hauling of produce.

They handle poisonous chemicals and motorized equipment without the proper training and without protective gear. These children are exposed to brutal weather and highly toxic pesticides.

No wonder, they suffer from malnutrition, retarded physical development, skin diseases, wounds, bruises, dehydration, headaches, fever and respiratory problems.

Children miners

Over 18,000 children are also in mining and quarrying. Half of them are 10 to 14 years old.

Most are in small mines—working long hours from extraction to processing that use low-tech methods that don’t follow safety standards. Cave-ins, landslides and falling rocks are part of the job description.

Body pains and exhaustion are the least of their worries. They are exposed to large amounts of dust and mercury-based chemical that cause brain damage. And for carrying excessively heavy loads, their growth is stunted.

Children domestics

Closer to home, there are over 230,000 minors working as household helpers, eight out of 10 of them girls, according to the NSO.

“The monotony of their work deprives them of the opportunity to learn skills that would make them grow into productive adults,” the ILO says.

On call 24/7, they normally gave a 15-hour work day. Day offs, if granted at all, are about once a month. All for an average measly sum of P800 a month, they risk verbal, physical and even sexual abuse.

“Child domestic workers have virtually no freedom of movement, as they are able to venture beyond the gate only when sent out on errands,” the ILO says.

“Some 2.4 million of these children labor under some of the most risky and inhumane conditions just to survive another day or get through another meal,” the ILO points out.

“These working conditions violate children and damage their physical, mental, spiritual and psychosocial growth and development to such an extreme that they end up injured or, worse, dead.”

This is the world of four million Filipino child workers. –International Labor Organization