Educo Philippines warns that prolonged COVID-19 crisis will likely force more children into worst forms of child labor, holds virtual public forum to raise awareness on issue

Child rights organization Educo calls for critical support to ensure the working children and their families have access to quality education, flexible learning opportunities, and social safety net programs

June 11, 2021 Philippines – On World Day Against Child Labor, Educo warns that more children will likely be forced to work in oppressive conditions through and even after the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as many struggling families will still need to cushion the financial impact of the crisis on their homes and ensure that they have money to spend on daily needs.

To raise awareness on working children’s situation in the Philippines, Educo held a virtual public forum entitled “Ang Batang Manggagawa sa Panahon ng COVID: A Public Webinar on the Child Labor situation in the Philippines”, where labor experts, advocates and stakeholders discussed how the economic pressures affecting families push children to work.

Educo Child Protection Specialist Shiena Base discussed how important child participation is in addressing the issue of child labor. Base says during the public forum: “Children are experts of their lives so they have the best insights to prevent and to respond to any child protection issues.” Base also introduced Project Strengthening Accountability in Governance towards Ending Child Labor by Promoting Rights and Providing Socio-Economic Support (SAGIP), an Educo initiative in Bicol communities which aims to directly support 200 working children and their families while strengthening LGUs to address data and policy gaps in child labor monitoring. Representatives from the International Labor Organization (ILO) & and ChildFund Philippines served as resource persons on current challenges and faces of child labor. Officials from the Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns, Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Education were also present to discuss government initiatives to address the issue.

While duty-bearers enact policies that address the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, there are still major gaps to be addressed. With the exacerbating challenges of distance learning, lack of income sources for the family, and the health crisis, many children are forced to work in order to help augment their family income. It is therefore imperative that all sectors of society work together to help protect children against child labor.

Gemma Castillo-Goliat, Educo Philippines Country Director says: “As the COVID-19 crisis drags on, many of the poorest families who have already been struggling to make ends meet even before the pandemic will not be able to recover even as the economy slowly opens up. Many children already engaged in child labor will be forced to accept worse conditions than last year including working long & tiring hours, receiving little pay, or, worse, by giving up school indefinitely. Many children feel that they have no choice but to hold on to any job they can find in order to provide for themselves and their families”, citing UNICEF & ILO’s joint publication Child Labour: Global estimates 2020, trends and the road forward,

According to Educo, the fact that schools are still closed in many countries due to COVID-19 requires states to redouble their efforts to ensure that all children have access to quality distance education and to put in place effective measures to prevent school dropouts and prevent entry of children dropping out into the labor market. At the policy level, Educo promotes that no child should be involved in any form of child labor at least until he or she has completed compulsory education. This measure should be regulated by law in all countries where the age of entry to work is below the age at which compulsory education ends.

“The issue of child labor is extremely complex as it is rooted in poverty and inequality. We need to address the economic vulnerability of the families of the working children. But more importantly, we need to guarantee safe, inclusive, and quality education and as well as provide life skills through technical and vocational training to children so that they can transition to decent work. We ought to listen to children and actively engage them in dialogues on child labor so that actions are based on their needs and sensitive to their realities.”, adds Castillo-Goliat.