Gov't rescues 41,200 children in child labor abuse

Secretary Arturo D. Brion on Thursday cited a report of the Department of Labor and Employment's 's Bureau of Women and Young Workers (BWYW) that around 41,200 children, mostly from the sugar and other industries, have now been successfully withdrawn from the worst forms of child labor.

Likewise, Brion expressed his appreciation to the country's tri-media community for pledging solidarity in the noble cause against child labor during the recent Media Congress on Child Labor in Makatiy City.

Director Chita DG. Cilindro of the BWYW, during the International Labor Organization (ILO) Congress, bared that the 41,200 children represent 93 percent of the PTBP's 2002 to 2007 goal to free the victims from the worst forms of child labor in the country.

Significantly, Cilindro indicated that the partnership in solidarity with local government units, non-government organizations, and other sectors, boosts the fight against the worst forms of child labor considering that "majority of child laborers are in the informal sector."

She noted that the worst forms of child labor remain non-prevalent among legitimate establishments due largely to the DOLE Labor Standards Enforcement Framework (LSEF) inspection procedures being enforced, and complied with, in the country's formal sector.