Palace seeks help of LGUs vs child labor

Malacaang is calling for the cooperation of local government units (LGUs) in stopping illegal child labor in some 80 barangays which have been identified by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE).

This was disclosed by deputy presidential spokesperson Abigal Valte yesterday after Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano earlier revealed that the International Labor Organization estimated that there are now 2.4 million child laborers in the Philippines, aged nine to 17.

Cayetano called on the Aquino administration to implement a more comprehensive program that would protect minors, particularly street children who have been exploited by unscrupulous employers.

According to Valte, the DoLE has already identified 80 barangays, mostly in the provinces, where illegal child labor has been found rampant.

We are hoping to target these barangays would be child labor-free in 2012, she said.

As such, Valte underscored the need for local executives, particularly the mayors and barangay chairmen, to enforce laws against child labor.

She also cited the recent success of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking which was able to rescue 22 women and minors who were about to work in Dubai.

That was a milestone and there was already a conviction, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Valte said. –Rocky G. Nazareno, Daily Tribune