Child labor in Philippines Essay Example

hard decisions when it comes to sending their children to work. Without immediate action, the problem will continue to grow.

"We have to get to the root of child labor which is linked with poverty and lack of decent and productive work," said Lawrence Jeff Johnson, director of the International Labour Organization's country office for the Philippines. "While we strive to keep children in school and away from child labor, we need to ensure decent and productive work for parents and basic social protection for families."

Although regional financial struggles are a major cause of child labor in the Philippines, the global economy is another factor. According to the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, the escalating price of gold has driven mining operations in the Philippines to new levels, and many mining companies make use of children. As many as 18,000 children are involved in regional gold mining operations across the Philippines, and currently the country ranks 18th in terms of gold production. As the demand for gold increases, along with its price, so too will the number of children forced to work.

Gold production in the Philippines is highly dangerous. Young boys and teenagers are often forced to descend into watery pits in a process known as compression mining. With only a tube to allow them to breathe underwater, they fill bags with ore before returning to the surface. Aside from the obvious physical dangers of this type of work, children and teenagers face other risks when working in the mining industry, such as exposure to mercury, which is used to leech gold from rock.

Stopping Child Labor

ChildFund

has operated in the Philippines since 1954 to address the problems that lead to child labor. ChildFund Philippines is one of six implementing agencies of ABK3 LEAP: Livelihoods, Education, Advocacy and Protection to Reduce Child Labor in Sugarcane. Through this partnership, ChildFund aims to reduce the number of children forced to work by improving access to education. Other projects are currently under way to raise awareness of the dangers of child labor and the industries that support it, such as sugarcane farming and deep-sea fishing.