According to a recent International Labor Organization (ILO) study conducted in 2020, around 160 million children worldwide are involved in child labor. As the COVID-19 continue to hamper progress of efforts against child labor, the study estimates that around 8.9 million more children will be in child labor by 2022. These figures show that the fight against child labor is far from over.

World Vision joined the World Day Against Child Labor (WDACL), held annually in June, as a global observance launched by the ILO in 2002 to increase awareness and promote the efforts against child labor.

In the Philippines, the National Council Against Child Labor released the WDACL’s theme for this year dubbed “Makibahagi, Makialam, at Magkaisa para sa #BatangMalaya!”

In line with this, World Vision through its Project Against Child Exploitation (Project ACE) held a series of online events including the ceremonial MOA signing with DSWD for the implementation of the project.

The project, in collaboration with the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative, also held a Public Presentation of the National Level Legal and Policy Analysis on the Minimum Standards for Occupational Safety and Health.

Project ACE, funded by the United States Department of Labor (DOL), aims to strengthen the capacity of government to effectively counter the worst forms of child labor through improvement of policies and law enforcement to prevent and protect children from child labor, improve services to assist victims of child labor as well as online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC), and strengthen partnerships among public and private sectors to make all these happen.

Earlier this year, World Vision also inked partnerships with the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) and the local government of Quezon City to coordinate and collaborate for Project ACE’s programs.

Globally, World Vision continues its campaign It Takes A World (ITAW) To End Violence Against Children where in the Philippines it focuses on the rising prevalence of OSEC, considered one of the worst forms of child labor.

World Vision joins deliberations in the Senate and House of Representatives to push online child abuse and exploitation bills, and amendments for the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Law. It is important to update current national laws to keep up with the rapid changes in online technology and to further improve capacity and coordination between law enforcement and private sector.

World Vision also assists families and duty bearers by providing capacity building and awareness to improve reporting and referral mechanisms for child protection incidents and to create programs that protect children from exploitation.