DOLE highlights anti-child labor and anti-trafficking advocacy on its 77th anniversary

Press release prepared by the Department of Labor and Employment

To help alleviate the plight of children engaged in hazardous and exploitative work, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will conduct a series of advocacy orientation on child labor based on Republic Act (RA) 9231, the law on the elimination of the worst forms of child labor and RA 9208, the law on anti-trafficking in persons, as part of its month-long 77th anniversary celebration this December on the theme, “Tuwid na Daan sa Tapat na Paglilingkod.”

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said that the advocacy is aimed at raising knowledge and awareness that will lead to the prevention in the employment of children.

“Child labor is a socio-economic problem. It is a scourge. Parents themselves usually are the ones putting their children to work due to poverty. It requires enormous collaboration of the social sectors to help child workers and their parents break the bondage of poverty that tied them to child labor,” said Baldoz.

DOLE leads the national anti-child labor program aimed at improving conditions of work of children and banning child employment in hazardous occupation. Thousands of children, unfortunately, are still exposed to hazardous working environments, such as quarries, mines and at docksides in order to earn their living.

“Children who work at a young age are forced to forego their education and many other youthful activities in order to contribute to the needs of the family. Due to lack of knowledge and awareness and vulnerability to abuse, these children are easy prey to exploitative child labor and hazardous type of work by unscrupulous employers,” added Baldoz.

The DOLE is intensifying its campaign against child labor and child trafficking through advocacy, social dialogues, and other education and information strategies, such as film showing and counseling in the different regions as part of its outreach and program services delivery during the celebration of its 77th anniversary.

“This is also part of the DOLE-wide advocacy orientations on RA 9231 and 9298 are the National Capital Region, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Cagayan Valley (Region 2), Central Luzon (Region 3), CALABARZON (Region 4-A), MIMAROPA (Region 4-B), Bicol (Region 5), Western Visayas (Region 6), Eastern Visayas (Region 7), Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9), Cagayan de Oro (Region 10) and Socsargen (Region 12).

DOLE ROs have invited officials from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Department of Foreign Affairs, and other government agencies as resource persons of these orientations. Participants are representatives from the academe, recruitment agencies, child laborers and their parents who will be apprised on the salient features of RAs 9231 and 9208.

Other topics which will be discussed during the advocacy sessions are child pornography and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and their prevention.