THE Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has lauded the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for rescuing an estimated 90,000 minors engaged in child labor since they initiated a profiling scheme in 2018.

According to CHR, the labor department through its Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns (BWSC), created a database detailing the demographic, as well as appropriate services and interventions, necessary to save a child from harmful labor or economic activity.

The commission added that this is in connection with the Philippine Development Plan 2017–2022 goal of reducing child labor cases by 30 percent.

CHR executive director Jacqueline de Guia said DOLE collected information on 454,520 child workers across the country.

Of this figure, 105,826 kids were provided government assistance on health and education.

Their parents also received livelihood amelioration, the CHR head said..

The CHR commended DOLE for the evidence-based and child-centered approach to address a pressing child rights

issue.

"We cite the latest figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) indicating a 70 percent decline in the number of child laborers in 2020 compared to 2011," de Guia said.

"From around 2.1 million a decade ago, it was down to 596,900 in 2020," she added.

Ending child labor requires strong political will from leaders and harmonised efforts among key sectors, according to de Guia.

With this positive development, the commission expressed hopes the government will equip parents with the necessary tools and means for children to be raised in a safe environment where their physical, mental and psychosocial health are nurtured.

"Let us not deny our children of their childhood and their potential. Invest in their future by upholding the ir dignity, freedoms, and fundamental human rights," de Guia said.