4 M Filipino kids compelled to do labor — DOLE

There are four million Filipino children being compelled to do labor and most of them end up in Metro Manila, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said yesterday.

"We have four million economically active children.  They are the ones who work either full time or part time. This is very alarming to warrant concern," noted DOLE director for Bureau of Women and Young Workers Irma Vallente. 

Vallente claimed that Metro Manila is the "receiving region" for the big bulk of child laborers.  They are mostly recruited in the Visayas and Mindanao.

"There is a big percentage of abused and exploited children that we are providing with services here," she noted in an interview during the Regional Launch for Asia of the Community-based Innovations to Reduce Child Labor through Education Project (CIRCLE) in Pasig City.

And of the four million working children, around 2.4 million are engaged in "hazardous" works in agriculture, small-scale mining, pyrotechnic production and deep sea fishing. Others become domestic helpers and sex workers.

To assist child laborers, DOLE ties up with other government agencies and concerned groups to provide them with education and their families with livelihood.

During the launch, 18 non-government organizations (NGOs) from the Philippines, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Vietnam have re-affirmed their commitment to eliminate child labor.

The event was highlighted by the awarding of CIRCLE grants of almost $500,000 to the NGOs to help them pursue their goals.

The CIRCLE Project is a US Department of Labor-assisted project and being implemented by Winrock International, a global NGO, to prevent child labors. 

Vallente admitted that it is not easy to eliminate the practice of child labor because it is "deeply rooted in poverty" and the government lacks the resources for this.

"The government cannot do this alone because of the very limited resources that we have," she maintained. Vallente added that in most cases, the parents, themselves, allow their children to work to augment the family income.