University of Batangas College of Arts and Sciences TA ey A REFLECTION PAPER ‘Dimaano, Hannah Paulene (.. LeMa2-1 ems. Debbie Perez ProfessorGETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF CHILD LABOR Children are forced to exhaust their labor power because they need to stuff their stomachs. They do not have enough, and that is what fuels them to keep working, albeit inappropriate and amiss. Nonetheless, to eliminate child labor by removing all works undertaken by them and their families will merely empty their pockets, and to perpetuate this kind of exploitation does not make it justifiable either. In a complicated situation like this, where do we does corporate social responsibility stand? Relied upon by poor families in Negros is sugar cane harvesting which essentially serves as their source of income. Children, 15 years old and below, however, are allowed to work within sugar cane fields which is ostensibly erroneous ina number of aspects. The sugar canes gathered by these families are then given to independent local distilleries in exchange of money, and from these harvests, the latter then produces alcohol that are eventually bought by a company of my own. While it is not my company that employs these children to work and be compensated in expense of their childhood, it must be acknowledged that my business became a part of the problem the moment it bought alcohol that is produced out of child labor. Denying perpetuation of this apparent exploitation is putrid, and consequently, what needs to be done needs to be done. Henceforth, upon circumspect analysis, | draw the following lines of arguments. Government funds are not properly allocated to address the issue of child labor. With how the previous and current administrations knuckle down to this problem, it seems far from prioritizing children’s basic right to dignity and education. It might have ratified laws and regulations particularly focusing on eradicating child labor like Philippine Program Against Child Labor (PPACL) and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), but statistics would provide that millions of child laborers aged 5 to 17 years old are involved in hazardous works (ILO, n.d.). It is high time that the government launch programs that are genuinely meant to alleviate poverty.GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF CHILD LABOR Opinions may vary and some would say that it is the parents’ fault for making their children work, assuming that it is some form of abuse. This may hold true if circumstances are thought of superficially, but it will always run down to the fact that poverty is what compels these parents to let their boys and girls grind. They must not be antagonized but rather be understood for they are just as victims as their children are. There are conducive solutions that could be offered to lessen these children’ s burden. Consultations with concerned and credible organizations, local or national, can be of great help, especially that poverty-stricken households cannot be sustainable in a snap. The institution of child labor must be replaced with child work, which fundamentally supports and advances children’s quality of life. Children cannot simply be ousted from working provided their financial setup, but instead be kept safe and compensated materially and psychologically, according to their mental and physical capacity (ILO, 2021). Subsequently, my company could initiate this with the supervision of the local government to ensure that the program would be done through lawful means. Additionally, as an owner of a company which did not simply found her business out of the goal to maximize profits but also to help the community by recognizing its corporate social responsibility, my business could launch and hold programs and partner with non-government organizations to promote children welfare and advocate against child labor. It will also be helpful to communicate with the independent local distilleries and inform them about the nits and grits of the issue and try to meet halfway by campaigning for full employment of qualified workers so as to not affect the daily operation of their businesses. This is parallel to what the company, Nord Green, works which significantly impacted live through their giving back program, by ensuring that the portion of their purchases are donated to charity initiatives (Nordgreen, 2021).tern GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF CHILD LABOR Albeit these recommendations are helpful, these can only do so much. Child labor is a systemic problem that must be addressed in its roots (ChildFund, 2021). It is not an issue without depth, but a manifestation of economic injustice. It is a corrupt institution that cannot be completely eradicated unless the unjust and dogmatic system is dismantled. Social injustice is the root cause of this form of exploitation. Hunger is what forces these people to demoralize themselves and leave one of their feet in the grave. Hence, to solve this complex problem is to elevate the discourse to the arbitrary preservation of a system that glorifies the rich and oppresses the poor. REFERENCES: https://nordgreen.com/pages/giving-back-program https://www.ilo.org/manila/areasofwork/child-labour/lang--en/index.htm https://www.childfund.org/child-labor-in-the-philippines/?no