IN AN effort to end child labor in the country by 2028, the Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE 7) has intensified the monitoring of child laborers who have been profiled in the provinces of Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
The DOLE-Negros Oriental Field Office visited the cities of Bayawan and Guihulngan, as well as the towns of Basay and La Libertad, during the first week of May to observe and speak with 239 child labor victims, including their parents.
Out of the total, 104 are from Bayawan, 66 are from La Libertad, 49 are from Guihulngan, and 20 are from Basay.
According to Luchel Taniza, Dole 7’s public information officer, there are child laborers who have been reported and profiled at their office, but they still need to get more information from their focal person.
However, she noted that the condition of child labor in Cebu is minimal compared to Negros Oriental, where minors work in haciendas.
DOLE 7 Regional Director Lilia Estillore hopes that more people will support their advocacy since the case of child labor is serious and affects the mental, physical, social and moral of the children.
Estillore added that the department is always trying to make the best effort so that the needs of children are met through the implementation of the Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program (CLPEP).
Under the DOLE's Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP), they offer a program called Kabuhayan Para sa Magulang ng Batang Manggagawa (KASAMA), which provides employment opportunities for the families of child laborers.
The initiative seeks to contribute to the prevention and elimination of child labor.
The program's intended beneficiaries are the child laborers’ parents or guardians or working-age siblings.
From 2018-2022, a total of 25,659 child laborers who were profiled were either given direct intervention by DOLE or referred to the proper agencies and organizations. (PAC, TPT)