How to end child labor

By 2016, nations around the world must meet a deadline to end child labor.

In the Philippines, much remains to be done. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), there are about 5.5 million children in the country who working, with 2.9 million in hazardous child labor like mining, deep sea fishing and other dangerous work.

According to Giovanni Soledad, project manager of the ILO-International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (ILO-IPEC), these children are exposed to biological, physical and chemical hazards.

Soledad said child labor is a complicated issue and is deeply rooted in poverty. Its eradication should be a multi-pronged approach, addressing issues primary of which are poverty and access to education.

But most of all, parents should be aware that pushing their children to work is against the law, he said.

“It is the decision of the parents to include their children in the work of the whole family because they need more hands so that they could get more income to put food on the table and provide for expenses,” Soledad said.

He also said barangays are on the front lines in reporting cases of child labor. Once cases are reported, the social welfare offices should come in with existing support services like livelihood and counseling.

Soledad also said that the ILO in the country is launching the “Batang Malaya” campaign which aims to communicate the ills of child labor and what should be done about the problem.

“People have to consider child labor as repulsive, as evil and immoral…There is a level of tolerance. If you tolerate it, you are sacrificing a generation,” he said. –ANC