PH gives red card to child labor

MANILA — The Philippines has joined the “Red Card to Child Labour” global campaign to end child labor.

Around 200 former child laborers played in the Batang Malaya football tournament Thursday, in partnership with the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) and the Younghusband Football Academy.

A red card, which is used in several sports including football, indicates a serious offense.

By giving the former child laborers the chance to enjoy their childhood, they are also being given the chance “to learn and to live a life with joy and dignity,” said Lawrence Jeff Johnson, Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Country Office for the Philippines.

“This is contrary to children found over a decade ago in some countries in Asia, stitching and making soccer balls instead of playing and attending school,” Johnson said.

The NCLC, chaired by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), supports the global campaign to boost national efforts to end child labor under the Batang Malaya: Child Labour Free Philippines.

In 2011, the National Statistics Office (NSO) estimated there were 3 million child laborers, aged 5 to 17, in the Philippines, about 99 percent of whom were in hazardous work.

Most children work in the agriculture sector but some also work in mines, on the streets, in factories, and in private homes as child domestic workers.

“Child labor as a complex issue is much related to poverty. Without access to decent and productive work, parents find themselves in vulnerable forms of employment. They are forced to accept or to create whatever work is available, at the same time, to send their children to work in order to survive,” Johnson said.

According to the ILO, the number of child laborers globally declined by one-third from 2000 to 2012 or from 246 million to 168 million.

Moreover, the US Department of Labor said the Philippines is one of the 10 countries making significant advancements in ending the worst forms of child labor.

The other countries were Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Gibraltar, Indonesia, Peru and Thailand.

While the ILO recognizes that there is global progress towards ending child labor, it said the decline is still too slow to meet the goal of ending the worst forms of child labor by 2016, and pointed out the need for strong political will and collective action.

Johnson said individuals can also hold up their own red card to child labor by not buying goods or services involving child labor, not employing children as child domestic workers and reporting cases of child labor.

“Remember, 3 million child laborers in the Philippines. This means 3 million reasons for us to take action against child labor just in the Philippines and more than 168 million reasons globally,” he said.

Many companies, organizations and individuals have supported the football tournament and the campaign against child labour by providing school supplies, football and school shoes, socks, jerseys, snacks and other items. –ABS-CBNnews.com