Philippine World Day against Child Labour 2011

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is to mark this year’s World Day against Child Labour (June 12) with events in more than 50 countries, along with a new report on children in hazardous work.

This year’s theme “Warning! Children in Hazardous Work – End Child Labour”, puts the global spotlight on hazardous work since the overwhelming majority of the worst forms of child labour involve hazardous work. Tackling the issue of children in hazardous work brings ILO member States closer to the goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labour by 2016. Hazardous work is defined as any work that is likely to harm the health, safety and morals of children.

In the Philippines, the National Child Labor Committee’s Sub-Committee on Mainstreaming and Advocacy spearheads the World Day against Child Labour, which aims to increase public awareness on the issue of child labour and on the need to scale up programmes towards the goal of preventing and eliminating the worst forms of child labour. The Philippine World Day against Child Labour will also build strong action and commitment to promote decent and productive work, recognizing that hazardous work is part of the larger child labour problem.

The Philippine World Day against Child Labour will be held at the Ichikawa Hall of the Occupational Safety and Health Center, North Avenue corner Agham Road, Diliman, Quezon City on 14 June 2011. Highlights of the event, will include a forum on hazardous work; breakout sessions, games and activities for children-participants; film showing, art workshop and computer session; media forum; and playtime with Senator Loren Legarda, author of the Republic Act 9231 “An Act Providing for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor and Affording Stronger Protection for the Working Child” and Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno.

The ILO’s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) will also issue a study entitled “Children in hazardous work: what we know, what we need to do”. The report analyzes the latest trends and estimates of children in hazardous work, and the risk to their health from such work as agriculture, mining, construction, manufacturing, domestic work and waste-picking. The report looks at the issue of children in hazardous work both from a developed and developing country perspective, including the US and Europe. It also offers a series of policy recommendations to address this problem.

A live webcast of the Philippine World Day against Child Labour in the Child Labour Knowledge Sharing System can be accessed at http://www.clkss.org.ph/resources/videos/WDACL.

Through the Memorandum Circular 2011-76 on the Philippine World Day against Child Labour 2011 of the Department of Interior and Local Government and support of the Department of Labor and Employment, local events will be held in regions and provinces in the Philippines. This also covers IPEC project areas in Masbate, Quezon and Northern Samar on June 16, 24 and 30.

The ILO originally launched the World Day against Child Labour in 2002 to highlight the plight of child labourers and to advocate for change. World Day against Child Labour events involve governments, employers, workers, and UN, non-governmental and civil society organizations. Events range from high-level policy debates to public and media events, awareness-raising campaigns, cultural performances and other public activities.

Mr Cesar Giovanni Soledad
Project Manager
ILO-IPEC Towards a Child Labour Free Philippines
Tel. +63 2 580 9946 or 580 9900
Email