PH participates in Global Conference against Child Labor
The Philippines, represented by the Philippine Ambassador to Brazil Eva G. Betita, and Vice Consul Eric P. Valenzuela, participated in the 3rd Global Conference against Child Labor held in Brasilia, Brazil from October 08 to 10.
The Conference brings together all the stakeholders in the fight against child labor to come up with measures that will accelerate the eradication of child labor, particularly its worst forms. More than 1,300 participants from the government, including 37 ministers, employer organizations, trade unions and non-governmental organizations from 152 countries attended the conference.
In her opening remarks, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff emphasized that child labor is truly a global challenge as there is no region in the world that is totally free from it and therefore, it can only be solved through collective effort. She added that "we owe all children a future without violence, without fear and without exploitation."
Mr. Guy Rider, Director-General of the International Labor Organization (ILO) which organized the event, reported that there are currently 168 million children in child labor across the world, 47 million fewer than in 2008.
The Philippines` best practices in eliminating child labor were prominently featured in the conference as Ms. Daphne G. Culanag, Project Director of World Vision Philippines, and Ms. Dayana Divevar Ingga, National President of Samahan at Ugnayan ng mga Manggagawang Pantahanan sa Pilipinas (SUMAPI), gave presentations as panelists in separate semi-plenary sessions.
The outcome document, called “The Brasilia Declaration,” which was adopted by the participants at the end of the conference, renews the commitments from governments, employers' and employees' organizations, and civil society and sets outs the measures to eliminate the worst forms of child labor by 2016.
The fourth global conference, called the Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour, will be held in 2017 in Argentina. END
