Bishop: Philippines must end ‘sad reality’ of child labor

It is estimated that there are more than 2 million child laborers in the Philippines. The International Labor Organization said a 2011 study from the country found that about 95% of child laborers were engaged in hazardous work.

The U.S. government reported that “the Philippines made a moderate advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor” in 2018. It noted that the nation’s government had begun a process of profiling child laborers and introduced guidelines to remove them from child labor and connect them with the services they need.

However, the U.S. Department of Labor warned, children in the Philippines are still forced into sexual exploitation and drug trafficking, as well as dangerous work in gold mining and agriculture.

“In addition, the enforcement of child labor laws remains challenging, especially due to the limited number of inspectors, lack of resources for inspections, and inspectors’ inability to assess penalties,” the Department of Labor found.

Bishop Mallari emphasized the right of children to live in a safe environment with their basic necessities met. When families and societies cannot provide these fundamentals, children in poor families are forced into dangerous situations that violate their basic rights, he said.

The bishop called for a cooperative effort in solving the problems that lead to child labor within the country.

“God entrusted to us His beloved children,” he said. “Ours is a task of taking care of them and be with them in their values formation.”