Child Labor

Child labor is a problem worldwide, but it particularly affects children in developing

countries. Child labor is characterized by full-time work at too early of an age, and
too many hours spent working. The work often exerts undue physical, social, or
psychological stress, hampers access to education, and may be detrimental to
social and psychological development. The ILO’s Statistical Information and
Monitoring Program on Child Labor recently estimated that 211 million children, or
18 % of children aged 5-14, are economically active worldwide. 60% of these
working children live in Asia, and 23% live in sub-Saharan Africa. Most economically
active children are employed in agriculture. For example, in Nepal, 85% of
economically active children are in agriculture. In Cambodia, the rate is 73% while in
Morocco it is 84%.(16)

The type of child labor is the most important determinant of the incidence of work-
related injuries. An estimated 6 million work-related injuries occur among children
annually, which results in 2.5 million disabilities and 32,000 fatalities every year. In
developing countries, children often work under hazardous conditions in the
manufacturing and agricultural sectors. For these children, crushing accidents,
amputations, and fractures account for 10% of all work-related injuries.  Working
children are not only at risk of physical injury, but are vulnerable to workplace
toxins and chemical hazards as well.(17) Specific hazards vary according to the
industry type. Child workers may be exposed to high temperatures, and a high risk
of accidents caused by cuts and burns if they work in the brassware and glass-
bangle industry. Children who work in matches and firebox shops may be exposed
to chemical hazards and a risk of fire and explosion. Children who work in the
carpet industry are exposed to repetitive movements, chemical hazards, inhalation
of wool dust contaminated with biological agents, and inadequate working
postures. Lastly, children who work in the shoe industry are often exposed to glue.
(18) “Using data derived from the Global Burden of Diseases Study (GBDS),
estimates of child occupational mortality rates by region were found to be
comparable with adult mortality rates, indicating that the conditions in which
children work are as dangerous as, or more dangerous then, those in which adults
work.”(19) 

Child labor not only negatively affects a child’s health, but it also negatively impacts
his/her ability to receive schooling and perform academically. When children are
forced by their families to work, they no longer have the time to attend school.
Though there are a significant number of children who go to school and work, the
work may negatively impact their studies. Data from 12 Latin American countries
find that third and fourth graders who attend school and never conduct market or
domestic work perform 28% better on mathematics tests and 19% better on
language tests than children who both attend school and work.(20) Child labor is
also problematic because it creates a vicious cycle. A study conducted in Egypt
found that many fathers couldn’t find work or were unemployed for health reasons
that were a result of them having worked too long hours, in conditions that
negatively impacted their health as children. For example, one man had worked in
pottery factories since childhood and was blinded as a result. Thus, one of his sons
was then forced at the age of 8 to provide for the family and engage in full-time
work. (21)

Low income, poverty, and poor educational institutions are the driving forces
behind the prevalence of child labor worldwide.(22) “Child labor exists because
education systems and labor markets do not function properly, because poor
households cannot insure themselves against income fluctuations, and because
perverse incentives exist that create a demand for child labor.”(23) Thus, many
families, especially those in developing countries, need extra income or can’t afford
to send their children to school, so they send them to work. “Historical growth rates
suggest that reducing child labor through improvements in living standards alone
will take time. If a more rapid reduction in the general incidence of child labor is a
policy goal, improving educational systems and providing financial incentives to
poor families to send children to school may be more useful solutions to the child
labor problem than punitive measures designed to prevent children from earning
income.” (24)

DISCUSSION The analysis above leads to certain implications for the international community: •
Collect/study child labor data and devise interventions that allow for the possibility of children
being in school and working; • Improve the quality of schooling by investing in education so as
to increase its value to children and parents; • Provide subsidies to poor families prone to
having working children so they can afford their children's schooling (income subsidies,
nutritional supplements); and • Establish partnerships of international organizations dedicated
to improving children's lives. Some recent efforts to protect jobs in developed countries are
misguided. Competition from developing countries is probably not the cause of unemployment
in developed countries. Under the guise of protecting workers' rights, some developed
countries propose that minimum global labor standards be adopted by the GATT successor, the
World Trade Organization. Among the issues proposed is the prohibition of child labor.
Developing countries argue that such measures would rob them of their comparative
advantage: lower labor costs. Many see the issue as just that: rich nations attempting to wipe
away developing countries' comparative advantage by arguing for human rights. Genuine
human rights concerns are important, but protectionism is not the answer. High levels of
unemployment have many causes other than trade, so labor standards in one country may not
affect levels of employment in another. Threatening trade restrictions based on labor standards
is not justified. The problem with such a stance is that (i) not all forms of child labor are
exploitive or cruel; (ii) the age deemed "child" labor is not clear; (iii) poor countries cannot
necessarily afford such measures; (iv) levels poverty would increase; and (v) school attendance
would decline. Furthermore, free trade is probably part of the solution to eradicating child
labor. This is because a free trade regime promotes development worldwide. And as countries
develop, the incidence of child labor decreases substantially.

CORRELATES OF WORKING CHILDREN

Children work for a variety of reasons. The most important is poverty. Children work to
ensure the survival of their family and themselves. Though children are not well paid,
they still serve as major contributors to family income in developing countries. For
example, minors in Paraguay contribute almost a quarter of the total family income (see
Table 4).

Children are often prompted to work by their parents. According to one study, parents
represent 62 percent of the source of induction into employment. Children make their
own decisions to work only 8 percent of the time (Syed et al. 1991). In fact, a possible
reason parents in developing countries have children is because they can be profitable.
Children seem to be much less of an economic burden in developing versus developed
countries. Children in developing countries also contribute more time to a household than
they deplete as compared to their counterparts in developed countries (Lindert 1976).
Therefore, parents in developing countries make use of children's ability to work.

Abstrac t

Child labor is a pervasive problem throughout the world, especially in developing

countries. Africa and Asia together account for over 90 percent of total child
employment. Child labor is especially prevalent in rural areas where the capacity to
enforce minimum age requirements for schooling and work is lacking. Children work for
a variety of reasons, the most important being poverty and the induced pressure upon
them to escape from this plight. Though children are not well paid, they still serve as
major contributors to family income in developing countries. Schooling problems also
contribute to child labor, whether it be the inaccessibility of schools or the lack of quality
education which spurs parents to enter their children in more profitable pursuits.
Traditional factors such as rigid cultural and social roles in certain countries further limit
educational attainment and increase child labor.

Working children are the objects of extreme exploitation in terms of toiling for long
hours for minimal pay. Their work conditions are especially severe, often not providing
the stimulation for proper physical and mental development. Many of these children
endure lives of pure deprivation. However, there are problems with the intuitive solution
of immediately abolishing child labor to prevent such abuse. First, there is no
international agreement defining child labor, making it hard to isolate cases of abuse, let
alone abolish them. Second, many children may have to work in order to attend school so
abolishing child labor may only hinder their education. Any plan of abolishment depends
on schooling. The state could help by making it worthwhile for a child to attend school,
whether it be by providing students with nutritional supplements or increasing the quality
and usefulness of obtaining an education. There must be an economic change in the
condition of a struggling family to free a child from the responsibility of working. Family
subsidies can help provide this support.

This analysis leads to certain implications for the international community. Further
investigation into this subject is required before calls are made for banning child labor
across the board. By establishing partnerships with humanitarian organizations, the
international community can focus on immediately solving the remediable problems of
working children.

Child Labor - refers to the illegal employment ofchildren below the age of fifteen (15),
where they are not directly under the sole responsibility of their parents or legal
guardian, or the latter employs otherworkers apart from their children, who are not
members of their families, or their work endangers their life ...

Child labour

Description
Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives
children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is
mentally, physically, socially or morally harmful. Wikipedia

DOLE explains child labor vs. child work

By Maria Teresa B. BeñasPublished on July 17, 2018

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BANGUED, Abra, July 17 (PIA) -- "There is a big difference between child labor and child
work.  Child Labor is characterized by an element of abuse and violation of child rights
while Child Work is necessary to teach a child to do some minor household chores,
without being posed to health hazards and all basic needs are provided by the parents
or guardians.”
Dr. Alexander Gumabol, provincial head of the Department of Labor and Employment
(DOLE), explained  this to the Provincial Federation officers of the Kalipunan ng Liping
Pilipina (KALIPI) – Abra Chapter during their second quarter meeting recently.

Gumabol said the elements of child labor include the following; the child is below 18
years of age, and his work poses health hazards, he works for straight eight hours a day
and most of all, he is deprived of the basic needs su

ch as food, shelter, clothing and education.

On the other hand, Labor and Employment Officer Gil M. Datayan elaborated that child
work is simply helping in the household chores as a way of discipline or training for the
child, and under supervision of the parents or guardian. The household chores are
cleaning the house, dishwashing, and other household tasks or family business where
the child is not exposed to health hazards. Most importantly, the child is provided with
all the basic necessities in life such as food, shelter, clothing and education.
Furthermore, the child must be given opportunities to play.

Datayan emphasized that in child work, the child is not enslaved but only trained and no
provision of the law on child labor is violated.  

Gumabol challenged the KALIPI to observe the law on the protection of children
especially the girl children. He said the KALIPI should be bold enough in their
intervention to push for the protection of children. (JDP/MTBB - PIA CAR, Abra)

To my opinion I would recommend Basic Education forHard to Reach Urban Working Children
(BEHTRUWC) ofthis program because it can easily reduce child labor inurban areas but we know
that Bangladesh is an agriculturalcountry and most of the people live in rural areas. In
ruralareas so many child labor here so they have to take anotherproject for rural children to
reduce rural child labor and givesame opportunity like urban children. They have also
takenanother project like National Children Policy it canobviously reduce child labor I support
this project. UNICEFalso helps to improved birth registration and at last they ar

able to give birth certificates everyone in Bangladesh Ibelieve that this will also reduce child
labor. For examplewhen a child comes to industry for work then we can easilyidentify how
many years of his/her age to see his/her birthcertificate. I think they can also take another
project likebuilding awareness. The benefit of this project is that if theparents will make
awareness they can improve publicperception, enhanced credibility and image for this way
theycan not send their children agricultural sectors, textile millsand garment industries [24].
Furthermore, I think ILOconvention no. 182 it can reduce child labor in Bangladesh
Irecommended this convention because it can protectchildren all hazards works and it can also
 spread awarenessamong the children themselves by creating places or clubsfor them to come
together and empowerment. ILO andNetherlands Embassy also help time-bounded
program(TBM) it can reduce the worst forms of child labor becauseit is includes awareness-
raising and advocacy, policy andlegal reform, urban informal economy, rural informaleconomy,
basic education, technical education, povertyreduction and unconditional worst forms of child
labor. Weknow that child labor is a great problem in Bangladesh [25].At first Bangladesh
government immediately take action oncorruption because if government has corruption then
anyone can not apply their policy. ILO can also communicatewith local NGOs to apply their
policy. They also can takeanother project food for education. For example if theparents send
their children for education then they will getfood. So most of the parents who are poor they
will sendtheir children for education. In this way we can reduce childlabor in Bangladesh

PREVENT THE ENGAGEMENT OF CHILDREN IN THE WORSTFORMS OF CHILD

LABOR

 
Provide the necessary and appropriate directassistance for the removal of children from theworst
forms of child labor and for theirrehabilitation and social integration
Ensure access to free basic education and,wherever possible and appropriate, vocationaltraining,
for all children removed from the worstforms of child labor.

 
Identify and reach out to children at special risk

 
Take account of the special situation of girls.In 2001 after ratifying the convention
Bangladeshgovernment takes a project to combat the worst forms ofchild labor in urban areas. At
the same time ILO and RoyalNetherlands Embassy help a pilot project to develop a time-
bounded program (TBM) to reduce the worst forms of childlabor [1
Child protection from violence, exploitation and abuse
Child protection home page 
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Child labour

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Millions of children around the world are trapped in child labour, depriving them of their
childhood, their health and education, and condemning them to a life of poverty and
want. Of course, there is work that children do to help their families in ways that are
neither harmful nor exploitative. But many children are stuck in unacceptable work for
children – a serious violation of their rights.

Recent global estimates based on data of UNICEF, the ILO and the World Bank
indicate that 168 million children aged 5 to 17 are engaged in child labour. Millions of
them suffer in the other worst forms of child labour, including slavery and
slavery-like practices such as forced and bonded labour and child soldiering,
sexual exploitation, or are used by adults in illicit activities, including drug
trafficking.
Despite a steady decline in child labour, progress is far too slow. At current
rates, more than 100 million children will still be trapped in child labour by
2020. The continuing persistence of child labour poses a threat to national
economies and has severe negative short and long term consequences for
the fulfillment of children’s rights guaranteed by the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) – including denial of education
and frequent exposure to violence.

Child labour spans various sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, quarrying and
mining, and domestic service. Often, it is hidden from the public eye. For example, the
estimated 15.5 million child domestic workers worldwide – mostly girls – are often hardly
visible and face many hazards. Child labour is the combined product of many factors,
such as poverty, social norms condoning it, lack of decent work opportunities for adults
and adolescents, migration, and emergencies.

Child labour reinforces intergenerational cycles of poverty, undermines

national economies and impedes achieving progress towards the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). It is not only a cause, but also a consequence of
social inequities reinforced by discrimination. Children from indigenous
groups or lower castes are more likely to drop out of school to work. Migrant
children are also vulnerable to hidden and illicit labour.

Child labour is preventable, not inevitable. UNICEF believes that effective

action against child labour requires children to be placed squarely at the
centre of programmes designed to protect children’s rights. Looking at child
labour through a broader lens – addressing the full range of children’s
vulnerabilities and protection challenges – comes as a result of the
recognition that these wider concerns are not always fully addressed in
action against child labour. For more information on UNICEF’s approach to
tackling child labour, click here.

UNICEF supports the achievement of SDG Target 8.7 which provides that
States take “immediate and effective measures to … secure the prohibition
and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and
use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms”. Target
8.7 is linked to several other targets, including target 16.2 aimed at ending
abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture
of children, Goal 1 on poverty,  Goal 4 on Education; and Goal 5 on ending
violence against women and girls and gender equality, including harmful
practices. To support the achievement of Target 8.7, UNICEF pursues a
multisector approach to child labour, including legal reform, education, social
protection, access to health services and the data collection, and supports
partnerships with UN agencies and other key stakeholders to mount a
sustained effort to accelerate child labour reduction across regions. UNICEF
supports communities in changing their cultural acceptance of child labour,
while supporting strategies and programming to provide alternative income
to families, quality education, and protective services.

In various countries and regions, UNICEF and partners have strengthened

child protection systems, which have led to a comprehensive response to
children’s issues.  In turn, this has resulted in decreased child labour and an
overall improvement of children’s well-being. Access the most recent data on
child labour prevalence by country and region here.  

UNICEF also works with employers and the private sector to assess and
address the impact of their supply chain and business practices upon
children, and promote programmes that contribute to the elimination of child
labour through sustainable solutions to address its root causes.

UNICEF also partners with civil society organizations to support a holistic

child protection approach to child labour, contribute to the evidence base on
child labour through research and data collection, and advocate across all
stakeholders to end child labour.

Visit the resources page for more information.

Interventions and Treatment

Examples of intervention in child maltreatment include the investigation of child abuse

reports by state child protection agencies, clinical treatment of physical and psychological
injuries, family counseling, self-help services, the provision of goods and services such as
homemaker or respite care, legal action against the perpetrator, and removal of the child or
the offender from the home. This chapter reviews interventions that occur after suspected
child maltreatment has been reported to child protection agencies. These treatment
interventions are viewed by some as a form of tertiary prevention, for they are often
designed not only to remedy whatever harm may have occurred, but also to prevent future
occurrences of child maltreatment and to minimize the negative consequences of child
maltreatment experiences for children and their families.

Some observers believe that the concept of treatment, in the field of child maltreatment
studies, should be restricted to interventions that are therapeutic in nature, thus
distinguishing such programs from social and legal efforts to investigate or prosecute
reports of child abuse and neglect. However, the panel believes that therapeutic programs
should be viewed within a broader social context that includes interventions by social and
legal agencies. Access to therapeutic care is often determined by social service or law
enforcement personnel, and the availability of medical or psychological services is
significantly uneven in different social sectors. As a result, only a small percentage of
victims have access to the services that they need (McCurdy and Daro, 1993). Thus, in the
panel's view,
SOCIAL WORK INTERVENTION IN CHILD LABOUR REDUCTION 7.1 INTRODUCTION Sixty six years
after Ind~a's'independm~ our nation's children continue to toil under irhman conditions.
depnvcd of the joys of chlldh'nl. ~ndelible motional and physical scars carried into their
adulthood. It 1s mdd d slate of atfairs in a country where architects of our Mom struulc.
Jswaharlnl Nchru and Mahatma Gandhi considered children to be the wealth of the nation. The
status of women and children in a Muntry is a mirror to the developmental stmr of that
country. And the present status of children in Ind~a is an open hwh tijr ell ro SLY. Child hkwr is a
serious violtition of rights of' the child. A Ch~ld's nghl to sun.ivel, pmtcchnn, development and
participation. whlch la cnsunul ti) die I 'n~tcul Nullon Convention an the Rights of Child. is
denied if the ch~ld IS employcci. ('hlld lahour 1s detrimental to the normal emotional, physlcal
and niental developmc~it ot' rr ch~ld. In our country, millions of children toil to fed thcmsclves
and the~r liun~ly mnnhcrs. in \~tu~crl circumstances such as bonded and tbrccd labour. In
India, children have bcen participating in economic ctc'tivitit% ulong with their parents, since
timc immemorial, which has in tun1 llclpd 1tlr~11 Jcvciop thc skill required to handle the
traditional family occupation. 111 modm times, howcvcr, extreme poverty has compelled them
to join thc ranks of wugc-wtrrkws to support their family. India has got the duhious distinction
ol'cri~ploying th Them is dm a &Ling feature about the regional spd of child labour. Child labour
is pistent in large nuinbers in the poorest five stats of our country. This should not be surprising.
What is however wprising is that thm is a high incidence of child labour in the six industrially
boa advanced slats of the munty. This may in part be explained by the quality of enumeration
and data gathering by govcmmmts in these states that is likely to be of a better quplity Lan In Lc
poom statcs. The real story is .however fairly complex. Thc statcs of Maluirnshtra. Tamil Noriu,
Gujmt, Karnataka, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. all have child labour in larp numbers. One
can therefore conclude that In these states i~riiustriiil und wononilc expansion has happened
on the back of child labour. Thus aver the Isst two or thrce dwadcs new llnd powerful industrial
and commercial clitc havc clncrgrul in thesc srutt.s fn,m the profits of child labour. As a result
wc have a situation whcrt: on thc one side children arc being exploited generation after
get~eration and on the otkcr thcrc itre lurge busin= houses that are in involved in extraction of
surplus twin o\er u corc childhotds. 7.2 SOCIAL WORK INTERVENTION There are three schools
of thought rcgard~ny tlic concept unci llitcrvcnttons on child labour. The first regards ducation
as a fundiinlct~tsl right und hellcvcs that every child out of school is a working child. It regards
the Stutc as thc ugmt of' society and its primary responsibility to create the ncccssary
~nfrastructurc fbr facilitating free, compulsory and universal acxess to primary as well as
clcmcntary education, This school of thought does not make a dist~nctlon bctwecn hazardous
and nonhazardous occupations. As a nlattcr of' fact, what do hiizurdo~a and non-hazardous
mean? Many occu~ations are "non-hazardous" by law, hut In rcul~ty highly harmful. The
definition of hazardous only reflccts physical hantt to thc child but children who do not have
opportunities for self-dcvelopmcnt arc hanncd 111 other ways. 'Illis categorisation is against the
very pr1ncip1c.u of chlld n&ts. The second school of thought appreclatcs thc magn~tudc of thc
problem and the constraints of the State in cnsunng ~mmedlate ncccss to cducatlon for all
children. The school advocates a gradual, sequentla1 and selcctrvc amroach by first dcalrng
with children employed in hazardous process%. For pvlding thcm with education and tmning to
rehabilitate them, thcy advocate a step-by-ncp approach and not a sudden and overnight
approach. The third school of thought takes a complercly din-I sunl. hs pmponcnts' believe that
the state has fded in its duties of providing duCal10h imrntivcp to poor parents and in creating
an ambient atmasphere for the children to lam. "ky advocate leaving the choice to chiidren at
the same time providing than with a congenial and flexible environment that pmvides thcm
with quality education or a comfortable working environment and the fwom to choose. The
approaches range from "Decision wlth the adults. of immediate withdrawal; to decision with
the chlldrcn, of whethe to wok or mtw, In fact all intervention strategies are somewhc.re along
the line. Is the hlld king edhd Qr the cause? Whatever strategy is to be adopted. rt should
Impact at least the mast apparent cause of child labour. The strategy must be guldcd hy ~ht
factors that lcad that particular group of children Into the labour force We olscr nd lo member
that in trying to give back children thctr ch~ldhood, we do not tmpsc ~dullh~~d on them, 7.2.1
Social Work Intervention Approaches 7.2.1.1 Consciousness on education Support to
programmes to rmprovc thc ~ICCC~~ 10 iitld qllilllt)' of cl~n~~n~tlry education, awareness
building. campaign and ndvocc~cy programmes an school enrolment, retention, levels of
learning support tu ducatrontll ~ntitiutructure, traitring and inputs into improved
mcthodologics, support to early childhood care and education programmes, experimentation
and innovations tn cducstion and so on. Most agencies have combined support to specific micro
Icvcl projwts with support to campaigns, advocacy and policy interventions. though thme have
bccn difl'ercnca in emphasis. Almost in all the households wrth children in thr, age pu THE RR!
EARCHER CO~TNS~LC~G THE CHILD LAW1 RRRS W PRESENCE OF HELPLINE VOLUNTARY
ORGANISATIO? Atm~t 53 pcMlt of che fathers and 63 pa cent of molhas of the rcqmnbfs
responded that it is necesJary to'educate the girl childfen. On the atntnry 47 per cent fathers
and 37 per cent of mothers of the respondmts ugiw of the view that it was not necessa1-Y to
educate the children. iso or din^ to them. the girl child would not go in the employment and
that they had to take carc of housc and children. All others responded that it was necessary to
educate thy girl child. so tha: (i) they will have better future, (ii) they can read and write. (iii)
gating inrrriup will he caia and (iv) they will have better married life. They did not send their
childrrn to the school owing to economic reasons and they want to send only kys to tt~c schtxbl
und not the girls. They told that they could not realise the importance ot' iduccitiny the girl
child and that the economic problems were also behind it. 7.2.1.2 Preventing tbe Use of Child
Labourers Preventing and eliminating child labouring supr*rscul~xi by the climinetion of
conflicts that create environments where the use ot' cl\~lJ leh~ul.~~s scvt~~is cxpirent. Children
are used because they are "cheap, etkt~vc and c~hcrltcnl fighters". 'llicy also are easy to exploit
and are somctllncs more fi.arlccs ,inti crud In rhc~r acttons 111 combat than adults. Therefore.
to prevcnt the use ol'cll~ld I:~hcturers. resolution ot'thc conflict must be one of the highest
pnor~ticss in addrcwrrg thc usc of' child Iahourcm. Historically, many social workcrs havc been
opcnly pnc~list, and huvc been vocul in their opposition to child labour. Resolution is the best
way to prevcnt .the usc of child Iuhourcrs this IS not always possible. The most important
question to consld~r thcn la "why do some groups recruit [children] and not others'?" The niost
d~t'ticilll aspect of addma~ng the issue of child labourers is dealing with the rcwt causcs. Somc
of' ~hc contributing factors to the use of child labourers Include lack of cmploymmt
apportunitics, pt educational opportunities, social exclus~on apart from pvmy. pwunrary
diflicultia, domestic entanglements, soaring prices of wst of' l~ving ctc. Howcvcr, thcse fanon
are present in many situations whew children arc us4 I~~~uTws. hu~e social work views people
within their mvir(rnmmt, and intcrvcntions we thae that will work to transform the system as a
whole, social workers arc rblc to seek out the answa w why some groups use children as
lahouren and nth= do not. FAuution wdng tbe ethics of exploiting chilh and their lifelong
ionsquaws also falls within the rubric of social work lalr\ts. There are many arcas within rhe
profession of wial woric that can be furtha developed to prevent the exploitation of children as
labom and thc care fbr child labourers. Enough trained social workers arc to hc involved with
the issue of child laboring. Social workers could relocate temporarily to areas of grcstst nd to
assist the children and cormnunities. and also to train Icbcal people in working with childm and
communities. In the long-terni, schools of soclul works should b dcvelopcd further in order to
support the vast nt~d of the pv~plc I'opac~t!~ could hc dcvelopcd in local communities through
technology. whcrc ovailuhle. Whm rcchnt~lngy is available. local people selected for thcir
leadership U~I~I~IL*S could hC cducntd lhmugh long distance learning approaches, perhaps
utillting !hc truln thc truir~er mcxfcls, lo teach others in their community. 7.2.1.3 Awareness
generation Awareness programmes among the community and thc gcncral public including
political leadership aid government functiorianes at vurious lcvcls and attempts to target
employers and trade unions hot^ ken conducted and found overwhelming respwse. 7.2.1.4
Services to working children Services on education, hcolth care, nutrit~on rclntogwt~crr~ 111 to
schtwls, hridgc schools, support education. organisation of work~np cli~ldrai, skill truinlny.
saving programmes, rccrea:ional activities, thcatrt: progriinirncs. Icgill uss~stnncc and on have
been extended. 7.2.1.5 Services to community Community development services such as
caonornlc mpowermcnt programmes like savings and credit activities, cntrqrwcur dcvelapment,
assi~cs: ta individual bwintss, agriculture inputs and asststancc land and water dcvelapmmt
programmes, organisation of women's groups, youth plup and fmns asmdatiau have been
organised. The right to privacy of the 'children huld be upheld a all tima and in 111 situations,
especially of the girl child. Childnn will nut he &d to disclose my personal information against
their' wish. Thm should hc separate sleeping arrangements and toilets for gtrls. In case of
ovmight stay or in midentid complexes. Sheltered toilets have been advised io pm, idc. 7.2.2
intervention in Protection of Child Labourers Protection to child laboums.is imperative for their
phystcul, n~entul md over all development and the development of thc soclcty. 'Ilrc pliyslcal
pmtcctinn. psychological protection and mental protcxtion, ri~tvl~a rclutcd pnjtrstlon have hacn
provided. 7.2.2.1 Physical Protection Through NGOs have been requested and ussigncd the task
of giving childml all forms of physical safety (including protection fro111 scxuul abuse) lltrd
st~urity. They should be protected from nature's extrcnics- hcu~ r~ntl cold. They should be
protcctcd from snakc hltcs. poisonous insects. ctc, hy providing them with adcquatc protective
gw. Children should be givcn hcalthy, nutntious and tilll~~g (ficts and safc drinking water.
Children should be prov~ded regular md~cul chcck-ups and n-aary medication (if required). The
staff/ chaperon should have adcquatc knowlrxlgc of first-aid. The police authorities have heen
consulted and pm,nally prevailed upon in the presence of advocates for pmtcxt~on child lahour
(d' hblh thc sunw in the mcnt of physical belabouring and abumcnt and sexual haras(imcnt of
g~rl child. 7.2.2.2 PsychologicaVMentrI Protection A series of meetings have been convened
w~th the help of psychiatrists and psychologists for copious counseling and eliminating fm
grippcd the bodra of the child labom. The psycholog~&l health of a child should be nuinhid it1
all conditions and efforts should be made to enhance the mental well being of a child. especially
those that have undbgone my form of exploitation. mental, physical. or economical. The stam
chaperons/ wardm teachers and all rcspmsihlc fbr and interacting with children should maintain
dignity and respect in rhcir bdravinur (verbal and non-verbal) towads both boys and kr~s. Care
must be taken to use pmper language ((non-nhusivc, notr-dctiunatory arid non-hurting) 7.2.2.3
Moral Protection Moral rights and dignity of the children shoulrl hc. prot~u-ttul. Hmcc u limited
number of meetings have been organly~d with thc s~cic 01' nid~ulla pcc~plc and 1c:aI NGOs.
Children should not he humiliated arld c:luscd poln keusc of thcir background Children should
not be compclld to narrate thcir pc~sonal stones of ahusc and exploitation against their wish.
Self esteem and dignity (11' the children shoultl hc uphcld ul tlil t~nlcs and children should not
be pitiel because of thclr contl~tlons Children should not be discrimintction or humrl~atcd
hccausc of' any physical disabilities. Special attention should be paid to child with spx~al
(physical) needs particularly during their travel and stay. 7.2.2.4 Media Related'~bild f rotcction
The child shall have the right lo frccdom (ifcxprcss~on, lh~s nght shall rnclude freedom to seek,
receive and impart ~nformation md ~dcas of all k~nds. rcgardlcsv of frontiers, either orally, in
wnting or in prlnt, In the k)nn of rrt. or through any dhcr media of the child's choice. The
exercise of th~s nght to cxpmlon may bc subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be
such as arc ptovtded by law and atc necessary: For respect of the rights or reputations of ohm
For the pmtmion of nadona! security or of public onla, or of public health or morals. Children
can anticipate an enviroanen~ In which thew principles will be adhered to. Journalists will
acknowledge that freedom of spcech can bc maintained while taking into account the right: of
children. ~oun;alists will ~spt the sensitive nature of the child labour issue and avoid
xnsationalizlng thclr co\~nny of any event and its participants. Particularly in cases whm the
worst fhns of child Inhur arc: bting discussed, journalists will exercise discretion when reporting
on thc sexual and economic exploitation of children. Press will allow c1l1ldrc.n to express 111cir
rJraughts without coercion, payment or manipulot~on of thclr stutcmin~ls ln u~y way. Foct
checking done in conjunctio~l with stoncs about child Iirh~urers w~ll hc Jonc in such ti way that
children will not suffer repercussions for voicltrp tlrcir oplnlo~~s. 7.2.2.5 Complaints and
Redressal Procedure The interaction with thc police pcmonnel the child Inhourcn arc informod
to give complaint against their atrocll~es. huni~l~ntion. scvu~~l ahusr. pl~jwcul lorturc clc. The
children have been lnfonncti ahour thcir nghts (\I' ~>artlc~pal~olr and prorc~tion regularly for
them to make informcd cho~ccs. The democratic elected children's groupwill Iii~\ s ill1 otlyoing
task to obscrvc and maintain child protection and partic.ipatio11 at all Icvcls. Children should be
emp)wcrLJ and ct~ujurugcul to cxprcss themr~clvcs fearlessly wilhout any interference from
rrdults. Children should be given space and opportunities t(o sharc thcir views and concerns
regarding their safety, sccurity and dignity with ~uthoriticrr who arc responsible for them.
Adequate avenues should be provided to children to air thcir yrievanccs, and the advice of child
specialist 1 psychologist would be wught (if required). Further, necessary caunsclling would be
providcd to children. 8 The Team Leader, Project ticad, managcmcnt committa. or the
arganiwtion bod may take cognizance wd adcquate action would be tln according the gravity
and urgency of the'issuc. 7.23 The Rok of Social Work in Respa* Social work can play a
significant mle in addminp the isruc of child labourers in individual countries well as worldwide.
Social workus can be involved in prmtion and aftercart!. in addmsmg the ciwumstanco that uW
children to be exploited, and contributing to the rmrch md suhxqumt solutions lo addressing
root causes of the problem. A systems thmq approach, which socks to deal with the problem at
all ievcls. 1s Ilecessur?3 to crwtc a holistic MJ systematic approach to ending the use of child
Iiihum. Sc~ial wtrAcrs specialize in working on this type of comprehensive change, pnd arc
panlculnrl y su~td 10 combating pn~hlcms at all levels. 7.23.1 Children's Participation in
decision-making lnstitutionalising the concept of children's putllclputlon urld that they nd to
have their own space is not easy. It is rr constant hurtle wrth otlc's mental hlcxks among adults
to truly give chlldrcn nght to fiecdonl ot'sclt'kxprcssion utid tllc right to form associations. Bal
Sabha thrms thc core of our pnrprcimnic. It tius helped In refining our programme
~ntenci~tlons. inthe procc*u of or~ilnlhll~g chtldrctl urid creating a forum where they can
speak, share thc~r ~cjcii\ as urcll as crrtrquc rhr programmes and orientatlo11 of thc
orgrmrsation I. ut~hcr, ch~ldret~ ulno Iccrrn ttlc principles of democracy. In fact at onc of the
rncctlrlgs of' 13ill Mivdoijr ! lrllotl (BMCI). it was decided that representative3 of the RM\I
would occompuny vtrcct educators whenever they go to meet pollee or nlunlc~pal utrporaticm
c)tlic~t~ls cm tssucs rclatod to them. The reason for this dcc~sion was that htrcct educators
quitc often d~d not share the information on the outcome of the mccttng stw,n tvough. 'T7rc
pmtlcer wrus to share the infonrlutron whenevcr a mcct~ny of eh~ldrctl took plocc. 7.2.3.2.
Conducting Bal Mudoor Union The direct outcome of having the Bal Sabha (Cll~ldrcn's ('ounal)
has bccn thc formation of a Child Worker's Union. Onc of the major proh1em.u faced by atrcct
children is harassment from police, liccn-d coolies and shopkscycr?r. Quitc oflm children are
beaten up on false charges of thefl and strcet brawls. They an also booked on false charges and
remanded cither to a spcc~al hmct Jail (the latter is done by hiking their ages to 17). The Bal ~~r
Union sees itself as a mllative of strw and workirg children. It is a platform of &d fpr childm who
arc: dcniad their a- to basic rights which have been guaranteed to each and every child in India
by the Constitution of our country and the Convention on the Ri&s of the Child. which h.s been
ratified by the Government of India. The Llnlon s&s to tducatc tutd conscientise children
regarding thcir nghts bplh z.; childm and as workcrs. It is important to point out that thc Union
is conccrnttd sh~utllc situoltrons afuhw andlor denial of access to basic fundamental nghts,
such as the rig111 ttr cducutlon, right to recreation and leisure. right to respect and
opprrtun~tlcs. rlyllt to shcltcr and halt11 we, rigfit to be protected from cxplo~tatiot~ and
oppn'sslon and thc nykt to dcrnund and implementation of all Ieg!slat~on's rclilttng to the
protcct~on of'chlldrcn and thclr rights with regard to all children. espcclally thc d~sadvuntugcd
and the most vulnerable. Those who opposed the unionisntion of child wc~-km do u~ hause:
'They believe that (a) children are not lnitturc enough to discuss ant! dwidc on issum pertaining
to thcir lives, (h) unionisation, in fact, Icpirliscs untl institutionuliscs child labour, and (c) it is an
unnecessary etTort to pcbliticisc childrcn. It is imnic that children are not considerd "minor"
\vIicn they arc tijrc~rl IO do iltlult joha includirlg working in hazardous occupation (match
factories. titeworks, plnss, gem polishing, lock, industry, mines. constructions and carpet
~ndustry) hmiiic~. thcy ulw work longer hours than adults and are paid lcss wagcs. Sc~rnc ol'
thrsc childrcn arc the breadwinners of thcir fhmilies. However, whcn it come% to enling tlicm
pwcr to make their own decisions they arc suddcnly scerl as incapahlc und king too young to
shoulder their responsibility. Convention on thc nghts of' thc childrcn ir s clew opportunity to
the government, NCiOs und the wcicty at largc to hcgin Hccing children as individuals with
citizenship rights like any olh~7 citiz~n and 1101 mcrcly as objects of charity and philanthropy.
Our commitment should hc to cmp)wcr thc childrcn with the knowledge of their rights and quip
them to protat thor fights while the May ensure an environment that will facilitate the
prc)tcctton of' all nghts of pll children, 7.2.4 Imt.ivkl~I and Group Intervclrdog Thete are several
mental health impacts on child labom that arc predictable Using the indicators, the abusas
engqgod in mrmpting thc children. tamridng them. isolating them, and disciplining them'in a
psychologially abusive way. Isolation is identified as the most damaging of the four indicators.
hut each of chcm pwmts children from completing the tasks they need td in order to dcvdop
thcir identities and contribute positively to their community. The emotional mnsqurnccs Tor the
majority of the children interviewed lncludcd sad rncrds. pn~~ccupations,uicidal thoughts and
fears. Most of them expericncd loss in rclntlc~n to ttlc dcath of members of their family and
social status as u rcsult of' thclr actrons. Sonrc Iclt tlrcy had lost educational opportunity, but
othcrs Sclt they hitd gi~in~~l rulucutional opportunity. and some felt they had lost tiiendships
while othcrs felt 11icy had yulnod friendships. While children experienced devclopmaltul,
psycholog~cal. nnd mental cc~nsqucttccs, in my brief search in the literature I found none
exploring thcir spcitic cxpcncnce. In any case, it is common in a11 counlrics tor rctunung child
lu\~)urc.rs to k rcjcctcd by their families and communities who Sear their violcrrt hctra\fior.
Thcrc is a universal need for the rehabilitation of tlicsc chlldrc~l. thcir Siimil~es and thcir
communitics. This is the purview of social workers. 7.2.4.1 Macro Practice and Political
Advocacy Another area in which soc~ul workers can bcc~)nlr ~nvolvod IS udvoacy on a national
and international level. '1111s 111c1udcs oryatllLlng pcwplc In thc countricn thul suffer this
atrocity, as well as using the networks wc huvc lo organinc Odv~~cy efforts. Areas that nml
advocacy include Funding for rehabilitation and reintegatlon, not only dlmarncnt and
demobilization on national and ~ntemat~onal Icbcls r711h rchahilltat~on must also be provided
for cornmuliltla whlch hsvc cndurcd v~olmce and tho* tiom which children have become
labourers. 1~cr)nornlc dcvclopment, access to quality education and vtxat~onal tralnlng
(Intcmat~t~nal Lah~ur Organization, 2003)- and the creatlon of jobs IS essential to prevent
funhn child soldiering. The creation of courts or commissiom. model& after one that has taka
pime or is currently taking place which can help uommunlties rmlvc conflict .ad in bring justice
to the individuals and communities tht have been aftdad. The creation of a position in the
national pvcmmcnt. such as ombudsmen, to ovmee children's rights, ~ncludlng dealing w~tlr
the tssuc of child labouras. As a politician, umbnssador. nppn,achcd rclr\'nnt non-pvmrnental
organizations in order to bring ahwt these change. 7.2.5 Meso Practice and Local Advocacy The
social work researcher involved on the local level it1 rtt'tcctcd or at risk areas in many ways as
well. Education. social intcgratlo~~ und workcd towurds affected communities. These could
include: Educating communities on their human nghts ils well as thc ngltts pntd to them
through the various internutional trccltlcs tlicir goveni~ncnts h~vc siglorl. Rehabilitation ct'tbrts
that includc noniiall/~ng rllc mvlrctnnlcnt us scu~n us possible. not including. Tli~s should
incluclc tllc use 01' thr cultural art to tell stories, which will promotc healing and iulucatc thc
cnnlmunlty thr prcvmtion. Empowering the commun~ry through womctl's gn~ups a:ld othcr
community groups to determine what lhcy nccd to do In ordcr to hc. safe. or wlirrt chengcs they
may want to make in the community as a result of thc~r cxpcnmcm. Worked towards the social
integration of thosc who have hccn physically injured through gaining access to hcalthcarc litr
thc community memb 10 deal with the many physical injuncs they huve suflhcd. 8 Worked with
communities to create "safety ;ronL?c so that cvcn In the war zones children can wnlinuc to
study and play" Promoted the reintegrat~on of the chdd Iak)urm necds to bc am of the ultimate
goals and better understand the hcst practlccai of rchabilrtat~on br the communities and
former ch~ld labourers. Thc rclntcgratlon the moat difgicult aspcct of the recovery process wd
in impoving the poceu. Several activities arc in progress to du~ (he MOW-listed objcfli~ of our
advocacy against child labour: 1. Involve all concaned individuals and gmups such as NCjCh, civil
sociocic(y organizations to make AP a child friend1 y state. 2. Sensitize all departments and the
heminunity un the nml for ppmtcction of children by upholding child rights in all places and at
all times. 3. Ensure that the state mates mcchnnisms to addrcss gncvnnces and child rights
violations by constituting Child R~ghts C'os~rn~ssion and anrrspondiny mechanisms at the
grassroots level. 4. Sensitize political leaddpartics on childm's issues for thc right kind of policies
to be created for the children. 5. Crate a cohesive group of NGOs that rcflccts i~ stnvng
('anlpuign against Child Labour network. 7.2.5.1 Policy Statement In order to addrcss the lvsuc
of cluld labourers, ch~lcircn'h nghls us an rnhcrctrt value must be recognlzcd. Onc area of
~ntcrnatlonal policy ulicrc tlilv nds to Irc done is in the International Labour Organlzatlon's
dcfinl!ton of "thc worst fijnnn of child labour" (International Lahour Orpnizat~otl. 1000). 131s
dcfinlllon nuxis to) include all children who becc~mc lab
DSWD to launch SHIELD program to help curb child labor
by Social Marketing | Jan 12, 2017 | Children and Youth, News
In support to children’s rights, the Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD) will pilot test the implementation of the Strategic Helpdesks for
Information, Education, Livelihood and other Developmental Interventions (SHIELD)
against child labor.
DSWD will launch the project today, January 12.
The SHIELD project aims to strengthen the capacity of local government units
(LGUs) in the prevention and elimination of the worst forms of child labor.
DSWD will pilot-test this project in Regions CALABARZON, V, and VIII for two years,
starting this year. These regions have been identified as high risk areas for deep-
sea fishing, mining, quarrying, agriculture, and major sources of child domestic
workers.
DSWD Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo said, “Even though various sectors have been
campaigning against child labor for decades, it continues to be a problem and
annually, the number of child workers continues to increase. Many work in palm
plantations, in the mining industry, as unpaid labor for sweatshops and family and
community-based backyard industries.
Based on the 2011 survey on children conducted by the Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA), around 5.492 million children aged 5-17 are already working, with
54.5% of whom are working in hazardous work environment.
“Many children work in farmlands, plantations, mines, pyrotechnics industry, and as
domestic workers. Agriculture also remains to be the sector where most child
laborers can be found,” Sec. Taguiwalo added.
There are already existing standards against child labor as issued by the
International Labor Organization and provisions of RA 9231 (An Act Providing For
The Elimination Of The Worst Forms Of Child Labor And Affording Stronger
Protection For The Working Child, Amending For This Purpose Republic Act No.
7610, As Amended, Otherwise Known As The “Special Protection Of Children
Against Child Abuse, Exploitation And Discrimination Act). She said that can be used
as guidelines to analyze the conditions of child workers.
According to the DSWD Listahanan database, there are 85,570 child laborers
recorded in the agriculture sector, which is the highest number.  This was followed
by the number of children working in construction, manufacturing, deep-sea
fishing, domestic work, and mining.
Under SHIELD,   the DSWD will help LGUs   to establish a functional Local Child
Labor Local Registration System and a Barangay Help Desk.  SHIELD will also
capacitate LGUs to develop effective advocacy and capacity-building strategies.
The local registry will develop a database system to identify who and where child
laborers are in the community. It will also be used to set a mechanism for referral
and monitoring of cases, especially those that reveal the worst forms of child labor.
In the meantime, the Barangay Help Desk will provide a one-stop shop kind of
service, as well as facilitate rescue operations when necessary.
“This problem on child labor continues as this is anchored on poverty.  As long as
the number of poor family’s increases, the number of children forced to work to
augment the income of their families’ meager incomes will also increase.  It is our
duty to protect these children, and show that the state cares for their welfare,” Sec.
Taguiwalo emphasized.
She stressed, however, that the DSWD cannot do the work alone.
“The LGUs must be equipped to eliminate the incidence of children engaging in
hazardous work in their respective jurisdictions. The community must work to
protect and care for their children. We also hope that civil society groups will also
extend their helping hand to our government agencies and communities.   Maging
bahagi tayo sa pagbibigay ng maagap at mapagkalingang serbisyo para sa ating mga
kabataan,” the Secretary said.
Project SHIELD will be implemented in partnership with the Local Government
Units (LGUs), Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and other Government
Agencies such as Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of the
Interior and Local Government (DILG),  Department of Education (DepEd),  Council
for the Welfare of Children (CWC) and the Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority (TESDA). #