Press Release
March 24, 2012

Cayetano: A more comprehensive plan needed to end rising child labor

Senate minority leader Alan Peter Cayetano called on the government to implement a more comprehensive welfare program to protect and promote the rights of the country's rising number of street children who are most vulnerable to exploitation and child labor.

The minority leader urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to launch a joint nationwide campaign aimed at creating higher awareness towards child labor and exploitation in order to protect the vulnerable children against those who exploit their innocence.

"We need to see more government agents checking on industries that hire child laborers and in communities where parents are known to force their children to seek employment, " he said.

"Government must also be prepared to support both the rehabilitation of the children and the parents," he added.

Cayetanocited a report of the International Labour Organization (ILO) that a total of 2.4 million child laborers ages 9-17 years old are employed in the Philippines. However, he believes that the number could be higher for those engaged in hazardous work.

"Despite being a signatory to various ILO Conventions that prevent child labor, the Philippines is known to have one of the largest number of child laborers in the world," he said.

"The government has to find ways to alleviate poverty in the country and provide more opportunities for these street children's parents to be able to provide for themselves and their families. Once we work on eradicating poverty, the rest will follow," he said.

News Latest News Feed