Tiny Hands

Gotcha!

2007-03-20T09:58:00.000+08:00

The important role of media in combatting child labor was once again highligthed with the successful "rescue" on a banana packing plant here in Davao City.

An initial complaint sent to ABS-CBN led to the issuance of a court action for a search warrant. The television crew was accompanied by the Department of Labor, City Social Services Development Office and the City Legal Office in the "raid."

Here's the account from Sunstar Gotcha!

Less than 5% comply with laws

2006-09-14T05:58:00.000+08:00

After the previous post on International Labor Organization (ILO) citing the Philippines on child labor, here comes a real shocker.

Only 24 of 500 members of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) or less than 5 percent comply with laws on child labor.

To correct his problem, ECOP is launching a campaign "Child Labor-Free and Child-Friendly Recognition Program." The project is in partnership with guess who - ILO.

ILO cites RP efforts

2006-09-06T08:15:00.000+08:00

Is child labor really declining in our country? Well, if not true good.

Read this report on ILO citing the Philippines, along with Cambodia, Mongolia, Indonesia and Vietnam, as setting concrete deadlines in eliminating the worst forms of child labor.

It is not declining fast enough

2006-09-02T06:58:00.000+08:00

Child labor cases in Asia have gone down, but it is not declining fast enough.

This according to the UN's International Labor Organization report.

Suffocating life itself

2006-08-29T06:58:00.000+08:00

"To thwart a child's natural work, the visionaries of education have said, is to suffocate life itself.

In short, becoming a person is a full-time job. This is the real reason that forcing children to do adult work is so damaging: It not only exposes them to soul-killing tedium, but robs them of the time they need to become adults. They're deprived not only of the chance to go to school, but of the freedom to pursue their curiosity -- to engage in that crucial and illuminating project called play."

Read the complete editorial at StarTribune.com of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

Africa adds to miserable ranks of child labor

2006-08-26T12:11:00.000+08:00

Sub-Saharan Africa remains a huge pit where children as young as 5 or 6 years old work.

It is the difference between eating and going hungry, said one grandmother who works with his grandson in a quarry to earn $3 a week.

While there is a trend worldwide in the decline in child labor, here the figures remain the same as far back a century ago.

Forum and training

2006-08-14T06:33:00.000+08:00

I dropped by briefly at the Forum on Child Labor at Kuya Ed's Restaurant last week. I was happy to note that many barangay officials were there. There were also participants from NGOs and child-focused social development agencies.

Congrats to the National Coalition Against Child Labor in Commercial Agriculture for the succesfull conduct of the forum.

The Coalition is holding another important activity this week. It's the training of advocates on child labor to be held at Eden Nature Park on August 16-19.

Child-labor free carpet making

2006-08-06T08:32:00.000+08:00

A Washington-based foundation is set to launch next month in such design centers as New York and San Francisco an education campaign for a child-labor-free carpet industry.

RugMark's search for The Most Beautiful Rug aims to create consumer demand and help eradicate child labor particularly in carpet and rug producing nations as India, Nepal and Pakistan.

The consumer awareness campaign will run for three years.

Buy only carpets and rugs that has the RugMark label. You are assured that it was made not by tiny hands.

Children should be in school

2006-08-05T09:35:00.000+08:00

Posted as comment at my new blog.

"I am lost in cyberspace, but lost not in vain after all. I found your blog site and i immediately positioned myself for further investigation. I can only hope that all these community projects you have been talking about will come into fruition.

Although I have been away for over a quarter of a century (I recently visited the beautiful city of Davao last July 2006, I must admit I am at awe as far as progress and improvement this city achieved. I must say, kudos to all of you.

As a Dabawenyo at heart, there is something I wish to speak out. Inspite of the progress and improvement I have witnessed thereof, there are still a lot of improvements to make concerning the welfare of our young children. I am shocked to see young children sleeping on the streets.
They are everywhere.

Is there something we could do to take care of these children. Why are they on the street living miserably neglected? Is there something our local governance can do to help and alleviate this poverty? These children should be at a school environment to learn and acquire education.

Thank you,"

Cornell

Tougher law in India

2006-08-05T08:43:00.000+08:00

They will put to jail violators of a new child labor law in India beginning on October 10.

The new child labor law extends an existing ban against employing children in hazardous industries. It will bar employing children as domestic servants, at roadside food stalls and in hospitals.

Child poverty

2006-07-29T13:57:00.000+08:00

Read this view from a Napalese journalist on child poverty, domestic abuse, etc.

Forum on August 8

2006-07-20T06:17:00.000+08:00

Fraternal Greetings!

We are wholeheartedly inviting you to a Forum and Orientation on Child Labor in Commercial Agriculture this coming 8th of August at 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Tower Inn, E. Quirino Ave., Davao City.

This event aims to establish a collaborative effort among the different organizations from the government, non-government, church, socio-civic, student, youth, workers, women and children sectors to carry forward the coalition's advocacy and campaign meant to expose the worst forms of child labor in commercial agriculture and strive for the immediate eradication of the same.

Please do share with us a little of your time on this day and let your voice of inspiration and love penetrate the hearts of the children, people and government in our country.

Very truly yours,

Prof. Alehandro W. Apit
Executive Director
Kamalayan Development Foundation

Cameroon

2006-07-12T10:08:00.000+08:00

What is the cause of child labor. Here is an answer from a report on Cameroon.

Bacolod sex scandals

2006-07-07T08:02:00.000+08:00

Iloilo City Boy blogs on the sex scandals in Bacolod. It involved young teeners.

He believes that a lot of sex videos circulating in the Philippines today comes from Bacolod.

Paging our crusading Councilor of Bacolod, Jocelle Sigue.

Child labor - waning or growing?

2006-07-02T12:20:00.000+08:00

I was in Iloilo City last week and I stayed at Amigo Terrace Hotel in the central business district. There are shops and business offices adjoining the hotel. One office I discovered at the mezzanine floor was that of World Vision which is dedicated to child labor.

Last June 30, I read in one local paper that World Vision held a forum on child labor. Had I known it earlier, I would have attended the event.

There are confusing reports about the state of child labor. Here is one saying its waning; the other one growing.

In the streets of Manila

2006-06-23T18:26:00.000+08:00

Here is a moving account of Henry II Anima who is taoporinako on child labor.

Lip service on protecting children in conflict areas

2006-06-19T04:29:00.000+08:00

Here is an interesting opinion on Children as Zones of Peace by my friend Radzini Oleda:

Otherwise, the declaration of Children as Zones of Peace will remain as lip service much like the previous commitments to prioritize health and education. The social consequences are too glaring to ignore.

News from around the world

2006-06-18T09:20:00.000+08:00

Reports from around the world:

Bangladesh

Chile

Nepal

Yemen

Labor group hits govt over child labor

2006-06-15T06:00:00.000+08:00

KMU dismayed over Arroyo’s failure to curb child labor
06/15/2006

The militant labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) yesterday expressed dismay over the Arroyo government’s failure to curb child labor as 10 persons — six of them minors — were reported injured when a firecracker factory in Binangonan, Rizal was hit by fire.

The full story at The Daily Tribune

World Day Against Child Labor

2006-06-12T16:01:00.000+08:00

Cross post from Peter Lavina

I just came from a march to mark the World Day Against Child labor in Davao City. More than 600 children, parents and anti child labor advocates joined the march around the city's main streets.

A culminating program was held infront of City Hall if only to emphasize the need for serious government action on this global problem that also reared its ugly head here.

Thanks to our media colleagues for the coverage - GMA7, Mindanao Times, ABS-CBN and Sunstar. We need the mass media to raise the level of awareness of our people on this regard.

Here I helped arranged for a television crew interview Eliza Apit of the National Coalition Against Child Labor in Commercial Agriculture.

Children are supposed to be in school not in any quarry or construction or karaoke bar or plantations.

Related posts - Forgotten children

Burma child workers exposed to pesticides

2006-06-12T06:14:00.000+08:00

A recent study by the Chiang Mai University of Thailand revealed that child workers in Burma are exposed to dangerous fertilizers and pesticides.

Here is the complete story.

Forgotten children

2006-06-08T11:05:00.000+08:00

Manila Bulletin did a singular feat last June 4. Indeed, where have all the child advocates gone that day?

More teeth in the US

2006-06-08T10:53:00.000+08:00

The US Lower House has passed Tuesday a bill giving wider powers to enforce child labor laws.

In the meantime, in Arizona, nine businesses were fined for child labor violations.

ABK Initiative holds Visayas Congress

2006-05-29T06:37:00.000+08:00

Child laborers and anti-child labor advocates recently held its first Congress in the Visayas Region. It is the country's second hotspot with the most number of child laborers.

A set of 14 recommendations came out of the 3-day meeting including calls for government for more programs and services to children, access to education, work for their parents and stricter enforcement of laws on child labor and children's rights.

Here is the complete story from Inq7.net on the congress organized by the ABK Initiative.

Six minors freed from sex den

2006-05-28T05:52:00.000+08:00

Six minors from Negros Occidental were rescued from a nightclub in Antique in the continuing fight against child labor and sexual exploitation.

Bacolod city council member Jocelle Batapa Sigue, whom I met at the 1st National Media Summit on Child Labor in Manila last April, was part of the team which undertook the rescue operations.

Here is the complete story.

Passi, Iloilo gets ILO support on child labor

2006-05-27T07:52:00.000+08:00

For having the most number of child laborers in Iloilo, the component city of Passi is placed in the priority list of recipients of the International Labour Organization-International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (ILO-IPEC).

Here's the complete story from The News Today online edition.

Cult holds kidnapped children

2006-05-27T05:52:00.000+08:00

The Manila Times featured this Philippine News Agency story "Hundreds of children held by cult."

A 14 year old boy who escaped told authorities hundreds of children were being held at a cave in Lutayan town in Sultan Kudarat.

Baguio to check on child labor

2006-05-24T06:57:00.000+08:00

Davao should copy this proposed Ordinance in Baguio that will require the listing of all domestic helpers (Kasambahay) to check on child labor.

Alabama govs fight over child labor

2006-05-23T06:08:00.000+08:00

The incumbent and former Governors of Alabama are engaged in a debate on child labor inspectors for the State.

One increased it, the other reduced it.

The on-line edition of The Decatur News Daily reports.

Child work vs. Child labor

2006-05-22T23:27:00.000+08:00

I have posted in my main blog the list of differences between Child work and Child labor which I learned from the 1st National Media Summit on Child Labor held last month.

I may have even caused trouble in my web hosting service for this booboo.

Related topic - No more tools in my tiny hands

Spain donates to fight child labor in LatAm

2006-05-21T07:12:00.000+08:00

Spain will donate 6.6 million Euros ($8.3 million) to fight child labor in Latin America, where significant declines in cases were noted in recent years.

Manila Times editorial

2006-05-20T04:26:00.000+08:00

Justice for the Filipino child, Manila Times editorial, May 20

Night commuters

2006-05-20T03:30:00.000+08:00

The scavengers of Davao have their counterparts in Africa. In Davao, young kids from as far as Marilog District leave the outskirts of the city in late afternoon to raid the garbage bins of the city at night. They then hitchride on early morning buses to the hinterlands with their rubbish finds.

The same circumstance - but more brutal - prevails in northern Uganda's young children who would rather work at night to find refuge in urban centers than be left in their villages to become child soldiers.

American actor Don Cheadle stars in a new documentary "Journey Into Sunset" about these brave children known as "night commuters" which the outside world has failed to notice.

"I work in rubbish"

2006-05-17T09:07:00.000+08:00

New documentary depicts hard life of Lebanon's working children. Invisible Children is the latest work of film director Carol Mansour.

One of the subjects of the film, an 11-12 year old girl, said "I work in rubbish."

News from Africa

2006-05-16T06:42:00.000+08:00

The Middle East Times reports that Morroco is preparing a law that would ban child labor.

China's Xinhua newsonline reports that the ILO will set up a monitoring system on child labor in Africa's most populous country - Nigeria.

Unreliable stats

2006-05-14T08:33:00.000+08:00

The recent ILO report on the decline on child labor worldwide is encouraging. But Thomas Fuller writing in the International Herald Tribune doubts "as to how meaninful and reliable these statistics are."

In The Workplace: The end of child labor? Depends on where you look, he called on groups "to devote more resources to fix the problem" than doing the numbers.

Combatting child labor in Portuguese-speaking world

2006-05-12T08:15:00.000+08:00

Brazil's formula to combat child labor is being shared throughout the Portuguese-speaking world. A conference was held Thursday in Lisbon, Portugal.

Scavengers in Davao

2006-05-10T08:25:00.000+08:00

Ann Silvosa, head of our City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), briefed members of the City Council yesterday on the solid waste management program of the city.

There was one particular issue she raised that alarmed a number of us. She said the city is becoming a "scavengers' paradise."

She said she recently visited at least two areas one at the old Cosmopolitan Parlor area and the other at the back of NCCC Bodega at Lizada, where she found colonies of garbage scavengers.

She was shocked to discover the scavengers were mostly children while their parents just sit at the urban poor colony playing cards, gossiping and drinking.

Child labor curbed with awareness, reform

2006-05-09T08:07:00.000+08:00

Washington Times correspondent John Zarocostas interviewed Guy Thijs, director of the International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) in Geneva recently. Here's the story.

Inquirer commentary

2006-05-08T07:51:00.000+08:00

Dealing with child labor, by Jigger S. Latoza at page A15, May 8, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Brazil's formula

2006-05-07T18:00:00.000+08:00

Economic growth with equitable income distribution;
Quality education; and
Safety nets for children

These are the formula of Brazil in eliminating child labor.

Texas couple jailed for child labor

2006-05-06T15:58:00.000+08:00

Here is a story of a Texas couple who smuggled a Mexican girl to the US and forced her to do domestic work and take care of the defendent's small children.

The couple were sentenced to long jail terms.

Click here for the complete story.

ILO reports decline in child labor

2006-05-06T15:49:00.000+08:00

A recent report by the International Labor Organization (ILO) revealed that child labor worldwide has declined 11 percent over the last 4 years.

Unfortunately, there are still 218 million children at work today.

Click here for the Voice of America report.

Human trafficking victims include children

2006-05-04T06:13:00.000+08:00

Virtually no country immune from scourge of human trafficking – UN report

Info booths at SM

2006-05-03T05:13:00.000+08:00

World Vision info and fund-raising booths at SM-North (up to today, May 3) and at SM Mega Mall (up to July 20)

Fr. Shay Cullen's reflections

2006-04-30T18:20:00.000+08:00

Fr. Shay Cullen outlines Preda Charity's work in Olongapo in helping sexually abused children in his recent Reflections at the Manila Times.

Six worst forms of child labor

2006-04-26T14:06:00.000+08:00

Deep-sea fishing;

Commercial and sexual exploitation;

Sugar plantations;

Pyrotechnics production;

Mining and quarrying; and

Domestic work

There is a very sad story in every child labor. Share them here. We are all ears. And we are ready to help combat this abuse.

The morality of child labor

2006-04-25T05:47:00.000+08:00

Sam Vaknin posts an intriguing piece The Morality of Child Labor at opednews.com;

Peter Magbanua reports on the 1999 Ms. Universe runner-up as our spokesperson at the Mindanao Times;

Ruby Silubrico writes that the DOLE strengthens laws, policies vs. child labor at Sunstar-Iloilo.

We can count on Susan "Toots" Ople

2006-04-24T10:20:00.000+08:00

Pete,

Thanks for visiting my blog. I am encouraged by your comment.
Re child labor, that is one of my pet advocacies. Nung time ng dad ko as chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, na-ratify ng RP yung ILO Convention on Child Labor. Please count on me for support in anything that has got to do with child labor, employment, migrant workers', human trafficking and functional literacy. Iyan ang mga really close to my heart.

Hope you don't mind -- I added your two blogs to my site. I hope you can read my column today in Panorama Magazine. If you are involved in the anti-chacha effort, please let me know so I can write about it there (pati na din any projects that you may have.)

Count me in as your friend and supporter. WIsh you the best always.

Your fellow blogger,

Toots

Visayas tops in news

2006-04-23T18:16:00.000+08:00

Here are some reports that were published after the 1st National Media Summit on Child Labor:

Group urges a change in attitudes towards child labor by Kathy Villalon Cinco of Sunstar Iloilo;

Group seeks support to combat child labor a Sunstar Cebu;

Child labor cases in Visayas regions among the highest in RP by Carla Gomez of Visayan Daily Star of Bacolod;

More child workers in Oriental - study by Guillermo Tejida III also of Visayan Daily Star;

From Iloilo, Maricar M. Calubiran writes at The News Today with: Child labor laws not fully implemented, and Iloilo, Negros Occidental have worst child labor problems.

The Advocates

2006-04-22T15:21:00.000+08:00

The "mother" Daphne de Guzman Culanag, (right) project director of the ABK-Initiative announces the designation of Ms. Miriam Quiambao as the new spokesperson of the anti-child labor campaign in the country.

Meet the new anti-child labor advocates from the Davao City media community led by Mindanao Times publisher Tita Josie San Pedro. (Photo courtesy of Anatess Basilio of the Mindanao Daily Mirrior/Mirror Bulletin)

Meet the mother

2006-04-21T04:34:00.000+08:00

If I were the father of this blog, its mother is Daphne de Guzman Culanag.

Actually she is no mother at all having no kid of her own. But she is "big sister," "mother," and matter-of-fact admitted she is now a "grand mother" to street children and child labor victims.

The title of this blog I got from her. She narrated during the 1st National Media Summit on Child Labor last Wednesday her participation in a march to Geneva in 1998. She was with a group of child labor victims and advocates which marched from Pakistan, Iran and Geneva to shake the wits out of delegates of the International Labor Organization (ILO) on the troubling plight of child labor abuse worldwide. They bannered the call "no more tools in my tiny hands!"

Daphne is the Project Director of the ABK Initiative - a program to combat child labor through education. It is supported by the US Department of Labor.

During the past two years, the program sent to school 28,000 working and at-risk children from eight target provinces, including Davao City and Davao del Sur.

Daphne has extensive work experience on children advocacy and was part of the group behind RA 7610 and RA 9231, national laws protecting children from abuse and exploitation, and prohibition of worst forms of child labor, respectively.

No more tools in my tiny hands

2006-04-19T19:18:00.000+08:00

More than 300 mediapersons, anti-child labor advocates and government officials convened the 1st National Summit on Child Labor at the Century Park Hotel in Manila today and pushed for more awareness on this problem that involved millions of children.

Three break-out groups on media and government, media and community, and media and educators were unanimous in recommending fresh measures to curb rampant child labor abuses throughout the country.

At the closing of the one-day conference, beauty queen Ms. Miriam Quiambao accepted her new role as spokesperson of the child advocacy campaign.

The participants wrote their commitments in hand shape papers to manifest the sign - Stop child labor!

In my paper hand I wrote the following:

"I pledge to have a weblog dedicated to child labor issues.

No more tools in my tiny hands!

Kami ay mga bata, hindi mga manggagawa!

I want to study; I want to read!

I want to play."