Child labor hotspot

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor CHERYL CRUZ Desk Editor PATRICK PANGILINAN Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

The 2011 National Statistics Office Survey on Children shows that Western Visayas has the third highest number of child laborers in the country and that Negros Occidental tops the list among the provinces in the region. While some may accept the excuse that most of these child laborers are migratory workers who come to the province during planting season, it doesn’t change the fact that child labor is prevalent in our province and something has to be done about it.

The Department of Interior and Local Government reminds local government units to allot one percent of their Internal Revenue Allotment for programs and projects to combat child labor through Local Councils for the Protection of Children. This order is timely because the budget hearings for 2013 have just begun and it gives LGUs the opportunity to include it in their annual investment plans and make sure that the LCPC have lined up programs for the protection of children.

Child labor is one issue that requires both the government and the business sector to work together if it is to be minimized or eliminated. Government programs that discourage impoverished families from sending their children off to work in farms or industries would not be effective without the cooperation of the private sector who are ultimately the ones who do the hiring of children and minors. If Negros Occ. has the most number of child laborers in the region that ranks 3rd in the country, then we can no longer turn a blind eye to the issue just because most of those child laborers are not from Negros.

It is one thing to considered as a haven for employment opportunities by migrant workers but it is entirely another thing to be known as a people who both tolerate and condone child labor. Government is doing its share in trying to curb child labor but without the support of the private sector, those efforts will be for naught.*