ASEAN and Mongolia Unite to Combat Child Labor

The Philippines and the entire Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) intensified their efforts to eliminate the worst form of child labor in the region.

In a public information-sharing event from May 28-30 in Manila, government institutions and civil society organizations from ASEAN member states, along with Mongolia focused on addressing the worst forms of child labor, online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, and violations of acceptable work conditions.

The countries involved in the event laid out their country-specific strategies for care for family and child victims and cooperative efforts to prevent employment problems.

In his message, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma said that the activity aims to eradicate child labor and other form of labor abuse in the region.

“As one community with one identity, we share one vision. We have to not only step up but also, and more importantly, we have to scale up. Today is part of our scaling up. There is no greater time than now to work together to further improve our existing policies and programs and enhance our collective efforts and practices to combat and stop child labor in all its forms,” Laguesma said.

He added that the Philippines is committed to eradicating child labor in the country. He highlighted that the country has seen a decrease of instances, with 935,000 in 2021 to 828,000 in 2022, based on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Special Release on Working Children Situation.

Laguesma reiterated that the government’s commitment to achieving a child-labor-free Philippines under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and the Labor and Employment Plan 2023-2028 will help achieve its goal in the future.

DOLE’s initiatives include profiling, skills training or employment facilitation for parents of child laborers, livelihood assistance through the DOLE Kabuhayan Program, and workplace inspections to ensure compliance with anti-child labor laws.

The event, conducted in partnership with World Vision’s Project Against Child Exploitation (Project ACE), aims to bolster the government’s capacity to address the worst forms of child labor. (ASC)