Labor scarcity, insufficient capital and lack of awareness of children’s rights and pertinent laws have increased the risk of child labor in sugar farms, especially higher among smaller sugar farms.
SIFI, under its Responsible Sourcing from Smallholders or RSS Program, assisted ten Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Organizations (ARBOs) to come up with No-to-Child Labor policies and to raise awareness of farmer-members on child rights, child work and child labor.
The 10 ARBOs, with a total of approximately 345 farmer-members, shared at baseline interviews conducted by SIFI to have observed a 5% to 10% child labor incidence among members.
During the July 10, 2019 Child Labor Policy Advocacy Seminar held at the SIFI Training Center in Talisay City, the ARBOs learned about the Rights of a Child, Developmental Stages of a Child and Republic Act 9231: Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor and Affording Stronger Protection for Working Children. Eighteen Chairmen and Officers participated in the seminar-workshop. They drew a picture of their farming communities and, it depicted some of their children doing various work in their small farms. They were then made to understand the difference between child work and child labor and how they could bring their advocacy to the next level—to their neighboring ARBO or the barangay.
At the end of the orientation, all 10 ARBOs committed to pass No-to-Child Labor policies, hang or post CL advocacy tarpaulins in strategic areas, and together with SIFI, organize community orientations and take part in the information dissemination.
