Eliminating Child Labour Project Philippines
The ITGLWF has been to the forefront of the global campaign to eliminate all forms of child labour. It helped bring he world's attention to the horrendous exploitation of child workers in the early 1990s and has continued to work for the elimination of child labour ever since.
Since 1996 we have been working together with the ITGLWF Philippines Council, which is made up of our local affiliates, to provide education and support to child labourers and their families.
Through our project hundreds of children have received education and support whilst thousands more families have benefited from the saving and sharing groups helping to break the cycle of poverty.
Below are some photos and information showing the powerful work done by our Filipino unions led by Annie Adviento.
Quote from RB a 12 year old former child labourer now in first year of High School.
" I am one of the scholars of Barangay Bagong Silang Caloocan City. I have been receiving educational assistance from ITGLWF through the Confederation of Filipino Workers for the last four years. I used to work four hours everyday cutting and sorting rugs to be sewn by my mother. I always arrived late in school. I was always tired and sleepy during my school hours. I understood that I have to work so we can eat and go to school. My life changed when I was able to listed as one of the scholars of ITGLWF. This part of their campaign to eliminate child labour started in 1996. My mother is now a member of a savings and sharing group. She now earns almost double since she started saving and acquiring small loans from her SSG. We are also getting tutorial sessions from a teacher who come to teach us on weekends. We also get to play during weekends with other scholars. I am hopeful that someday I will be able to finish school and get a job to help my parents. "
Quote from RdC a father of a child in grade 6 at the ITGLWF school
" I attended the first workshop on child labour conducted by the ITGLWF in Taytay Rizal sometime in 2004. I have shared the knowledge acquired to my wife who became very guilty about our children who are working at an early age. I have four children and I earned 250 pesos per day as a construction worker ($5.80). My wife was working at home with my children. They were sewing shorts, pants and children's dresses. She earned about 500 pesos a week ($11.60). Only one of my children went to school because of our financial difficulties. The other three were working full time with my wife doing cutting, sewing and selling in the local market. The child labour project was able to help one of my daughters J to go to school. My wife became a member of a Saving and Sharing Group in 2004, our family was able to save 100 pesos per week. We were able to get a loan from the SSG to buy a new sewing machine. All our children are now in school."
The names here have been disguised to protect the identity of the children and parents. The interviews were conducted by the ITGLWF Philippines Council in late 2011.
