The Department of Labor and Employment – Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns (DOLE-BWSC) said over 3-K child laborers have been rescued by the government since 2020.
In a Laging Handa public briefing on Thursday (June 17), DOLE-BWSC Director Ma. Karina Perida-Trayvilla bared that the government has rescued 3,621 child laborers under the program “Sagip Batang Manggagawa” led by DOLE, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and other law enforcement agencies.
“Mayroon din po tayong Sagip Batang Manggagawa o ang pagtutulungan po ng iba’t ibang ahensiya ng gobyerno tulad po ng DOLE at ng DSWD at ang mga law enforcement agencies upang sagipin ang mga kabataan na nasa delikadong trabaho. Simula po noong nakaraang taon, mayroon na po tayong mga 3,621 child laborers na nasagip na ng programa,” she said.
The rescued children receive aid from the DSWD as well as livelihood assistance for their families to avoid letting the children be forced to work due to poverty.
Dir. Perida-Trayvilla also said that the department has started profiling since 2018 and they have referred almost 270-K child laborers to be given proper service by the national government.
“Isinasagawa po natin ang profiling ng child laborers. Since 2018 nasimulan na ho natin ang profiling at mayroon na ho tayong almost 270,000 child laborers na nai-refer para po mabigyan ng angkop na serbisyo ng ating pamahalaan.”
She said that poverty is the reason behind the high number of child laborers.
“Ito ay 2011, ito pa rin po ang ating official statistics. Sinasabi po dito sa PSA data na mayroon pong malaking bahagi o porsiyento ng ating mga child laborers ay nasa Central Luzon o Region 3 at sumunod po ang Bicol Region, pangatlo po ang Northern Mindanao, Region 10 at CALABARZON and then Western Visayas at pawa pong mga nasa agriculture sector ang ating mga child labor, which accounts for 60%,” she added.
Report from Naomi Tiburcio/NGS-rir
