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Pagsagip ng DOLE sa 90,000 child laborers pinalakpakan

Philstar.com

July 6, 2022 | 4:27pm

Pagsagip ng DOLE sa 90,000 child laborers pinalakpakan

Children flash the peace at a rally in Manila, 17 January 2004, to mark the 6th anniversary of the signing of a bill against child labor. The organizers of the march said that despite the passage of the bill, there were still about four million child laborers in the Philippines and that the law was not being properly implemented.

AFP/Joel Nito

MANILA, Philippines — Pinuri ng Commission on Human Rights (CHR) ang Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) sa matagumpay na pagsagip nito sa tinatayang 90,000 menor de edad na biktima ng child labor o child exploitation.

Kaugnay ito ng profiling na ginawa ng Labor department, katuwang ang Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns, na layong ilayo ang kabataan mula sa "harmful labor or economic activity." Pasok ito sa layunin ng Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 na mapababa ang child labor cases ng 30%.

Anang CHR, bumaba nang 70% ang bilang ng child labor cases noong 2020 kumpara noong 2011.

"CHR commends DOLE for the evidence-based and child-centered approach to address a pressing child rights issue," saad ni CHR executive director Jacqueline Ann de Guia sa isang pahayag, Miyerkules.

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

Nilalabag ng mga naturang social and economic violation ang karapatan ng bata sa pag-aaral at pagkakaroon ng ligtas na kapaligiran.

Simula nang ikasa ang profiling noong 2018, umabot na sa 454,520 kaso ng child workers ang nakunan ng impormasyon ng DOLE.

Sa bilang na 'yan, 105,826 ay binigyan ng government assistance pangkalusugan at edukasyon. Nakatanggap din ang mga magulang nila ng livelihood amelioration.

Hiling ng CHR, magpatuloy pa ang pagsasagawa ng pamahalaan ng mga hakbang upang matuldukan na ang child labor na siyang kinakailangan ng "strong political will" upang mapanindigan ng kabataan ang kanilang dignidad, kalayaan, at karapatang pantao.

"[W]ith this positive development, the Commission hopes for the continued efforts of our government to equip parents with the necessary tools and means so children are raised in a safe environment where their physical, mental and psychosocial health are nurtured," ani de Guia.

"Let us not deny our children of their childhood and their potential," dagdag pa niya. — Philstar.com intern Vivienne Audrey Angeles