180 child labor proàlers ready for job in North Mindanao

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Some 180 people, chosen from 6 provinces in Northern Mindanao as enumerators for the profiling of child laborer, participated in the capacity development training conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment or DOLE which aims to capacitate them on their roles, including awareness on anti-child labor laws, and learn best practices in conducting interviews with families of working children.

The enumerators came from Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, and Cagayan de Oro City, according Regional Community Facilitator Hannah Jemimah Navarro.

Navarro said they discussed the global, national, and regional child labor perspective emphasizing statistics and the identified industry groups involving hazardous works engaged by children below 18 years old, including trends and causes, including anti-child labor laws and policies.

Ebba Acosta, head of the DOLE Cagayan de Oro City Field Unit, also advised the enumerators to be keen observers during the conduct of their profiling. “You will not be in the field to assess but to determine the needs of the children. In that way, we at DOLE would know how we can extend our help to them,” she said.

Earlier this year, the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office here provided DOLE the list containing the names and number of working children in the region for a speedy action mechanism in detecting, monitoring, and rescuing child laborer in hazardous and exploitative working conditions necessary for enforcement.

The profiling is in line with the advocacy of the government to eliminate all forms of child labor activities with the hope to provide information on the names, addresses and specific needs as a basis for the provision of appropriate services and interventions necessary to remove them from their activities.

DOLE serves as the lead agency in the implementation of the Philippine Program Against Child Labor, which seeks to eliminate child labor, according to Acosta. (Mindanao Examiner)