More than 100 million girls are forced to work in worst forms of child labor–ILO

Despite the progress of the global fight against child labor, the economic crisis still threatens to increase the number of child laborers, the International Labor Organization (ILO) said Monday.

In its report titled “Give Girls a Chance: Tackling child labor, a key to the future,” the ILO said girls in particular are in danger of being pushed to work at an early age by the financial crunch.

Girls account for approximately 46 percent of all child workers, according to the report. It further said that 53 million girls are considered working under the worst form of child labor. Of these, 20 million are aged less than 12 years old.

Global crisis

Although the report noted a 25-percent drop in the worst form of child labor through the programs under the ILO Convention 182, ILO’s Director Linda Wirth said, “The crisis may greatly affect the campaign against it.”

The report revealed that more than 100 million girls engaged in child labor are exposed in the worst forms of child labor including agriculture, domestic work, manufacturing, pyrotechnics, mining and quarrying, sexual exploitation and those involving armed groups.

A survey of 16 countries showed that 61 percent of girls in the five to 14 age group work in the agriculture sector. “The services sector, which includes children in domestic work in third party households, represents 30 percent of the number working, with 9 percent in industries,” the report said.

In the Philippines, the Department of Labor and Employment estimated that there are around 2.4 million cases of child labor this year. The department, however, does not have an exact figure on the genders of these child laborers.

Less education

The Labor organization report noted that the increase in the number of girls being forced to work is linked to the fact that many societies give preference to educating boys than girls. Because of poverty, families tend to sacrifice the education of young girls, forcing them to work under exploitative situations.

“In much of the world, boys and girls continue to be treated differently in terms of access to education. The result of these inequalities can be seen in the global literacy statistics. Of the 16 percent of the world’s population who are unable to read or write a simple statement, almost two out of three are women,” the report said.

Situation in RP

Wirth, however, said that in the Philippines, there is more number of boys than girls who drop out of school.

“Here, boys enter workforce. So girls have more chance of finishing school,” said Labor and Employment Assistant Secretary Ma. Teresa Soriano.

But the report further said that girls are more prone to be victims of the “double burden” situation.

“Girls often have the double burden, which is a gender issue. They are working outside but they are also expected to help inside the homes more than the boys,” Wirth said.

She added that one of the major issues in girls who engage in child labor is that “the kind of work they do leads to invisibility, which then leads to abuse and exploitation.”

Measures vs. child labor

Other factors that can push up the number of child laborers, the ILO statement said, are cuts in national education budgets and a decline in the remittances of overseas workers.

Meanwhile, the Labor department assured the public that they are cooperating with government agencies, non-government organizations and private institutions in combating the burgeoning problem of child labor in the country.

“The concern is rising so we are strengthening our enforcement mechanisms against it,” Soriano said.

She said that the Labor department is focusing on designing programs for the parents of the child laborers.

“Children are being forced to work by their parents simply because they need additional income. They see their children as way out of poverty. So, what Department of Labor and Employment does is help provide livelihood programs for the parents,” Soriano added.

The Department of Education (DepEd), on the other hand, said that it has been coordinating with various agencies regarding the right of children to quality education.

“They [child laborers] can be provided learning programs. There are no time constraints and no limitations,” said Cecil Nayve of the DepEd’s Bureau of Alternative Learning System.

Soriano said, “Part of our intervention is the work values and family values. We are hoping that with the programs that we are doing, which are community-centered, it can help eliminate the worst form of child labor.” – Bernice Camille V. Bauzon, Manila Times