Local government units especially in the barangay level should create legislations to address the prevalence of child labor in the region, according to the Department of Labor and Employment 6.

Regional Director Ponciano Ligutom said that the poor implementation of the Republic Act No. 9231 or the act providing for elimination of the worst forms of child labor has resulted to the continued prevalence of such cases in the region.

"There is a need for local legislation," he said.

All barangays are therefore encouraged to create Local Councils for the protection of Children which will address issues and problems on child labor.

He also added that the participation of government agencies, LGUs, non-government organizations, parents and other stakeholders is necessary to eliminate child labor.

CHILD LABOR CASES

According to the International Labor Organization, there are about 2.4 million children with ages ranging from nine to 17 that are "employed" across the country, a very low decrease compared to the 4 million the region had 10 years ago.

Ligutom said that six out of 10 of these children are unpaid laborers.

He added that majority of the child laborers are involved in agriculture, sugar industry, and mining since most cases are in Negros and Iloilo

which are both agricultural and industrial centers of Western Visayas.

According to ILO-Philippine program officer, Jodelen Mitra, 70 percent of the child workers in the region are living in rural areas.

Based on the record of ILO-Philippines, there are more than 300,000 working children in the region wherein majority are required to stay under a harmful environment.

In 2010, Negros Occidental registered the most number of workers with 110,000 followed by Iloilo with 109,000; Capiz with 49,000; Antique with 28,000, Aklan with 17,000 and Guimaras with 4,000.

PILOT AREAS

Five poorest villages were chosen as pilot sites for the Child Labor Free Barangay program of DOLE.

In Negros Occidental, considered with the most number of child laborers working in sugar plantations, the sites are Brgy. Jonobjonob and Balintawak in Escalante City and Brgy. Antipolo in the municipality of Pontevedra.

The two other sites are in the municipalities of Libacao and Madalag in Aklan.

INTERVENTIONS

Meanwhile, among the interventions created by DOLE are the livelihood projects and trainings for the parents of child laborers.

As of April this year, 210 parents of children working in different industries underwent various trainings in hog raising, rice retailing, vending, baking and food processing.

Of the 210, 50 came from the pyrotechnic industry in Arevalo, Iloilo City, 60 are scavengers, domestic and commercial sex workers and commercial sex workers, and 60 are recipients of the Ang Pag-aaral ng Bata para sa Kinabukasan (ABK3) project of the World Vision and Educational Research and Development Assistance (ERDA) Foundation, Inc.

In Iloilo, more than 5,000 child laborers who are either engaged or at risk in the sugarcane industry from the municipalities of San Enrique, Anilao, Barotac Nuevo, Dingle, Passi City, Dueñas and Banate were also chosen as ERDA-ABK sites.*