3 million kids forced to work under high-risk situations

The growing number of child labor in the country is a living testimony that poverty remains a critical social problem that needs to be addressed, according to Prof. Federico Macaranas.

A senior economic advisor of Veritas 846, Macaranas said that because of poverty, many poor parents are forcing their children to work, even in harsh conditions.

According to the data from the National Statistical Coordination Board, more than one-quarter (27.9%) of the population fell below the poverty line in the first semester of 2012, an approximate 1 per cent increase since 2009. This figure is a much lower figure compared to the 33.1% in 1991.

Child labor must be addressed immediately and look at carefully to resolve the growing child labor, Macaranas said in an interview over Radyo Veritas.

Families struggle to make ends meet and face hard decisions when it comes to sending their children to work, he said. “Without immediate action, the problem will continue to grow.”

According to the International Labor Organizations (ILO), as many as three million children in the Philippines work in environments that are considered hazardous, and an additional 2.5 million children are forced to work in slightly better but still substandard conditions.

The ILO also reported that some children as young as six years old have been working in sugarcane fields and mines in the Philippines.

Some children have jobs that place them in immediate physical danger. These risks include exposure to potentially harmful chemicals or sharp tools, and other dangers that may be less obvious but no less risky.

Children are often forced to work long hours with few breaks, which takes a toll on their physical development. Others are abused by their employers, both physically and psychologically.

“Although some companies make use of both boys and girls in their operations, boys remain at higher risk of becoming child laborers; almost 67 percent of child workers in the Philippines are boys. Hazardous work involving children is most prevalent in the Central Luzon, Bicol, Northern Mindanao and Western Visayan Island regions,” the ILO report said. –Ma. Jerrylyn B. Damaso, Manila Standard Today