US report: Phl efforts vs child labor gaining headway

WASHINGTON – The Philippines has taken significant strides toward reducing child labor, according to a new report from the United States Labor Department.

The Labor Department reported Tuesday that about 168 million children, aged 5 to 17, worked last year as laborers around the world, about half of them in hazardous jobs.

The Philippines was among the countries topping the list for “significant advancement” from previous years, along with Albania, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Ecuador, El Salvador, Peru, South Africa, Tunisia and Uganda.

The report on child labor in 140 countries called this an improvement from previous years. But while the decline is a move in the right direction, 10 percent of the world’s children are still being forced to work rather than go to school, the department said.

Labor Secretary Thomas Perez says the world needs to do more to address the issue. The report doesn’t include the United States or countries in Western Europe.

“This report shines a light on the estimated 168 million children around the world who toil in the shadows – crawling underground in mine shafts, sewing in textile factories or serving in households as domestic workers,” Perez said. “We are seeing more countries take action to address the issue, but the world can and must do more to accelerate these efforts. When children are learning rather than working, families flourish, economies grow and nations prosper.” –AP (The Philippine Star)