Press Release
June 21, 2020

Gatchalian warns of surge in child labor; calls for strict enforcement of children protection laws

Senator Win Gatchalian is urging the National Council Against Child Labor (NCLC) to intensify its crackdown on child labor as the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to put millions of children and their families in poverty.

Gatchalian made this call after the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) warned that the COVID-19 pandemic could reverse the global decline in child labor. In the last two decades, there were 94 million fewer children in child labor but the two agencies warned that the gain is now at risk.

According to Gatchalian, the NCLC should ensure that Republic Act (RA) No. 7610 or the "Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act" remains in full force. He added that RA 9231, which amends RA No. 7610 to cover the elimination of the worst forms of child labor and protection of children from labor exploitation, should be fully enforced.

Gatchalian reiterated that before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, child labor in the Philippines was already a challenge. According to the United States Department of Labor's 2018 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor, 3.2 million children in the Philippines aged five to 17 engage in child labor, approximately 3 million of whom engage in hazardous work.

The same report from the US Labor Department showed that children in the Philippines are engaged in dangerous tasks in both agriculture and mining. The worst forms of child labor affecting children in the Philippines include the recruitment of children in armed conflict and commercial sexual exploitation.

The lawmaker also warned that with 7.3 million Filipinos losing their jobs amid the COVID-19 pandemic, some children would end up dropping out of school and finding a job to help their families survive. He cited the example of Brazil, where parental unemployment due to economic shocks led children to step in and provide temporary support. Similar trends were observed in Guatemala, India, Mexico and the United Republic of Tanzania.

"Ang ating mga kabataan ay dapat nag-aaral at hindi napipilitang maghanapbuhay upang malagpasan ang krisis na dulot ng COVID-19. Kung hindi natin mapipigilan ang pagdami ng mga kabataang napipilitang maghanapbuhay, mas nanganganib silang makaranas ng iba't ibang uri ng pang-aabuso," said Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture.

Gatchalian also emphasized the role of subsidies to provide income security for workers and families, which could help spare children from taking on jobs. According to Gatchalian, this adds urgency to passing the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act (Senate Bill No. 1564) or Bayanihan 2.0 to continuously provide relief for affected families. Bayanihan 2.0 contains provisions that would provide tuition subsidies to students facing financial difficulties but are not covered by government educational subsidies or voucher programs.

###

Gatchalian: child labor sa bansa posibleng lumala dahil sa COVID-19

Habang milyong-milyong mga kabataan at kanilang mga pamilya ang nanganganib na lumubog sa kahirapan dahil sa pandemya ng COVID-19, hinimok ni Senador Win Gatchalian ang National Council Against Child Labor o NCLC na paigtingin ang pagsugpo nito sa child labor.

Ito ay matapos magbabala ang United Nation's Children's Fund o UNICEF at ang International Labour Organization o ILO na baka muling umakyat ang bilang ng mga kabataang biktima ng child labor. Bumaba sa siyamnapu't apat (94) na milyon ang bilang ng mga kabataang dumaranas ng child labor nitong nakaraang dalawang dekada ngunit ayon sa dalawang ahensya, nanganganib na muling umakyat ang bilang na ito.

Ayon kay Gatchalian, dapat siguruhin ng NCLC ang mahigpit na pagpapatupad ng Republic Act No. 7610 o ang "Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act." Inamyendahan ang batas na ito ng Republic Act No. 9231 upang lalong mapigilan ang mga tinuturing na worst forms of child labor at paigtingin ang proteksyon ng mga kabataan.

Sabi ni Gatchalian, isang suliranin na sa bansa ang child labor bago pa nagkaroon ng COVID-19. Ayon sa 2018 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor ng United States Department of Labor, mahigit tatlong milyong (3.2) kabataan ang dumaranas ng child labor at karamihan (3 milyon) sa mga ito ang nagtatrabaho sa gitna ng mga mapanganib na kalagayan.

Ayon pa sa naturang ulat, ilan sa mga mapanganib na gawaing kinasasangkutan ng mga kabataan ay sa mga sektor ng agrikultura at pagmimina. Nasasangkot din ang ibang kabataan sa mga armadong tunggalian at sa commercial sexual exploitation.

Nagbabala din si Gatchalian na dahil mahigit pitong (7.3) milyong mga Pilipino ang nawalan ng trabaho sa gitna ng pandemya sa COVID-19, maraming mga kabataan ang nanganganib na huminto sa pag-aaral at mapilitang maghanapbuhay. Ginawang halimbawa ni Gatchalian ang mga

bansang Brazil, Guatemala, India, Mexico, at Tanzania, kung saan maraming mga kabataan ang napilitang maghanapbuhay sa panahon ng krisis sa ekonomiya.

"Ang ating mga kabataan ay dapat nag-aaral at hindi napipilitang maghanapbuhay upang malagpasan ang krisis na dulot ng COVID-19. Kung hindi natin mapipigilan ang pagdami ng mga kabataang napipilitang maghanapbuhay, mas nanganganib silang makaranas ng iba't ibang uri ng pang-aabuso," ani Gatchalian na siyang Chairman ng Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture.

Ayon pa kay Gatchalian, mahalaga ang patuloy na pagbibigay ng ayuda sa mga pamilyang apektado upang hindi mapilitan ang mga kabataang maghanapbuhay. Aniya, makatutulong ang Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Senate Bill No. 1564) o Bayanihan 2.0 upang patuloy na mabigyan ng ayuda ang mga apektadong pamilya.

Kabilang din sa mga probisyon ng Bayanihan 2.0 ang pagbibigay ng ayuda sa mga mag-aaral na hindi kasalukuyang bahagi ng mga government educational subsidies at voucher programs.

###

News Latest News Feed