“There is no land like the land of your childhood.” (Michael Powell)

Every child deserves to live a proper childhood and gain access to education. Not only do children deserve this, but it is also their right. The children who we consider as the next generation have the right to live their lives as children and have the right to proper education however, child labor violates these rights.

The pandemic brought financial instability to many families and caused multiple schools to close down, making way for a rise in child labor in the Philippines. During 2020, the estimated population of Filipino children from the age of 5-17 years old was 31.7 million. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) says that within that population, 872,000 were working. In more recent data by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), there were 1,400 child laborers identified in 2022.

There is no doubt that child labor brings harmful effects to children. According to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), child labor harms the physical, mental and social growth of children. They are robbed of the childhood and education that they deserve.

“Ang kabataan ay ang pag-asa ng bayan.” ( Dr. Jose Rizal)

Sign this petition now to stop the ongoing problem of child labor and to help the future of Filipino children who we deem as the hope of our country.