Pagadian
City, 31 May (PIA) -- In an effort to curb child labor in the Philippines, the
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) recently signed an
agreement with members of the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) to scale up
the country’s anti-child labor drive.
According to DSWD Secretary Corazon ‘Dinky’ Soliman, the Memorandum of Agreement to Strategically Scale Up Implementation of the Philippine Program Against Child Labor (PPACL) aims to protect children from the worst forms of child labor in the country.
The MOA specifies the commitments of the different NCLC member-agencies towards addressing the issue of child labor, such as policy development, monitoring and rescue of child laborers, education and training, livelihood, health, legal assistance and advocacy.
According to DSWD Secretary Corazon ‘Dinky’ Soliman, the Memorandum of Agreement to Strategically Scale Up Implementation of the Philippine Program Against Child Labor (PPACL) aims to protect children from the worst forms of child labor in the country.
The MOA specifies the commitments of the different NCLC member-agencies towards addressing the issue of child labor, such as policy development, monitoring and rescue of child laborers, education and training, livelihood, health, legal assistance and advocacy.
The NCLC member-agencies will also
maximize use of Child Labor Knowledge Sharing System (CLKSS) website for
sharing information on child labor and other concerns. The NCLC will also use
allocated budget in their agency plan of action for PPACL
implementation.
DSWD shall be the lead agency in the conduct of training of social welfare officers for community organizing and the provision of special social services to ensure the well-being and protection of children victims of child labor. The social services include the improvement of living condition of families of child laborers with focus on linking them to the Conditional Cash Transfer or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in partnership with the LGUs.
The DSWD shall also provide policy directions and standards for the delivery of institution-based welfare services and technical assistance for the improvement of LGU-based service delivery. “We are also in partnerships with our child caring agencies towards elimination of child labor, Secretary Soliman added.
The NCLC is chaired by Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and its members are DSWD, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Agriculture (DA), Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), National Youth Commission (NYC), Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), Federation of Free Workers (FFW), Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), and National Council of Social Development Foundation, Inc. (NCSDFI). (DSWD/CAL/PIA9)
DSWD shall be the lead agency in the conduct of training of social welfare officers for community organizing and the provision of special social services to ensure the well-being and protection of children victims of child labor. The social services include the improvement of living condition of families of child laborers with focus on linking them to the Conditional Cash Transfer or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in partnership with the LGUs.
The DSWD shall also provide policy directions and standards for the delivery of institution-based welfare services and technical assistance for the improvement of LGU-based service delivery. “We are also in partnerships with our child caring agencies towards elimination of child labor, Secretary Soliman added.
The NCLC is chaired by Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and its members are DSWD, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Agriculture (DA), Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), National Youth Commission (NYC), Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), Federation of Free Workers (FFW), Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), and National Council of Social Development Foundation, Inc. (NCSDFI). (DSWD/CAL/PIA9)