MORE THAN 19,000 children were rescued from child labor with the direct intervention of the Department of Labor and Employment XI.
In a May 25 statement, DOLE XI announced that it recorded 19,455 total withdrawn children from child labor from 2018 to 2022. The figure represented 77.58% of the total estimated children in precarious situations in the region.
DOLE XI’s Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program profiled 25,077 children across Davao Region who were engaged in hazardous working conditions in agriculture, mining, domestic labor, and other sectors.
Davao del Norte has the highest number of profiled child laborers, comprising 6,785. Although, more than 90% or 6,142 children in said province within that period were withdrawn as of March 2023.
According to DOLE XI, indicators of withdrawal from child labor are age, provision of services, long-term assistance such as livelihood grants for parents, and rescue operations like Sagip Batang Manggagawa.
“While the reduction is notable, our work is far from over. DOLE XI calls upon all sectors of society to join hands and contribute to the cause by reporting any instances of child labor and supporting initiatives that uplift the lives of vulnerable children,” said DOLE XI Regional Director Atty. Randolf C. Pensoy.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, there is an increase in working children ages 5-17 from 2020 to 2021.
In 2021, there were 1.37 million working children in the entire country. This exceeded the number of working children in 2020 at 870,000. Among those, 3.8% were from Davao Region.
Across regions, Northern Mindanao has the highest percentage of the country’s child laborers at 14.8%, followed by Central Visayas at 10%. Meanwhile, NCR has the lowest share at 1.2%, followed by CAR and BARMM at 2%.
DOLE XI has been actively engaged in advocacy campaigns and programs like the Isang Milyong Batang Malaya, National Children’s Month, World Day Against Child Labor, and Project Angel Tree.
