Good News: Child Labor Cases in the Philippines Drop 45% — From 935,000 to 509,000 in Just Three Years

Here's a rare piece of genuinely good news: child labor cases in the Philippines have dropped by a staggering 45%, from 935,000 in 2021 to 509,000 in 2024, according to the Department of Labor and Employment. The milestone was highlighted at the Sixth Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labor held recently in Morocco.

DOLE Regional Director Roy L. Buenafe, who represented the Philippines at the conference, credited the decline to the government's clear policy direction, disciplined fund management at the local level, and interventions guided by reliable data under the Philippine Program Against Child Labor (PPACL).

'Steady funding for anti-child labor initiatives, closer coordination among agencies, and data-based actions contributed to the improvement of the lives of child laborers and their families,' Buenafe explained. Targeted programs, coordinated enforcement, and community-based monitoring have been key to pulling children out of hazardous work and back into schools.

Despite the progress, challenges remain. Agriculture, including fisheries and aquaculture, still accounts for 64.4% of child labor cases in 2024. The Philippines presented its ongoing efforts to identify and support affected children at a side event focused on ending child labor in the fishing and aquaculture sectors.

The country's achievements align with UN Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7, which aims to eradicate forced labor, modern slavery, human trafficking, and the worst forms of child labor. While the numbers are moving in the right direction, more than half a million children still need to be reached.

Source: The Manila Times