Child labor is a great travesty that affects the entire world, with 215 million child laborers around the world (Corpuz). It is even more prevalent in third world countries. The Philippines has 2.4 million child laborers (Corpuz). Of the country's working children, 64% are in agriculture, 16.4% are in sales, 9.2% are in production work, and 8.8% are in service trades (The Philippine Campaign). Some of these jobs may seem safe for children. However a majority of them can not only harm these children, but can also kill them. Not only are the children at a physical risk, but they also face exploitation by their employers in terms of long hours of work, insufficient rest periods and extremely low wages (The Philippine Campaign). This affects them just as much as the physical risks do. The most lasting effects of child labor on the children are the mental effects. They can develop certain psycho-social effects. The work, in which many children are engaged in, distorts their values, leads to loss of dignity and self-confidence, and exposes them to anti-social behavior (The Philippine Campaign). All these risks and effects are reasons why child labor needs to be stopped and the only way to do that is for the Church to be an example and use Catholic Social teachings to create organizations to end child labor.
This issue of child labor may seem odd in the Philippines because it is the top Christian country in Asia (Philippine Daily Inquirer). More than 86 percent of the population is Roman Catholic and 8% being other forms of Christianity (Miller). One would think that child labor would not be an issue in such a predominantly Catholic country. However the lack of support for Catholic Social teachings is what allows for such injustices to continue. Catholic social teaching is based on and inseparable from our understanding of human life and human dignity (Catholic Social Teaching). From this it is the duty and responsibility of the Church to protect all people. Since the Philippine is mostly Catholic, the Church needs to be proactive in ending child labor.
In order for the Church to use Catholic Social teachings to help stop child labor in the Philippines is to send organizations to help. By creating organizations, they Church would not have to directly interfere with the lives of the Filipinos. A good example of an organization the Church can use is the Catholic Relief Services. Catholic Relief Services has many outlets to help the world and 94% of their annual operating expenses goes to relief programs (Philippines). This is an excellent way for the Church to use Catholic Social teachings to help end child labor in the Philippines. Catholic Relief Services already has a program set up in the Philippines. This program is an agricultural program in the Philippines which lift small-scale farmers from poverty by linking them to more profitable markets (Philippines). This helps build the economy and lessens the dependency on child labor. With more support for this organization from the Church, they will be able to make great advancements in ending child labor.
Works Cited
The Philippine Campaign. "International Labour Organization-International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (ILO-IPEC)." ILO. 1998. Web. 04 May 2012.
"Philippines." Catholic Relief Services. Web. 14 May 2012.
Corpuz, Nina. "ABS-CBN News | Latest Philippine Headlines, Breaking News, Video, Analysis, Features." ABS-CBN News. 5 Apr. 2011. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/-depth/04/05/11/child-workers-philippines-number-24-m>.
Philippine Daily Inquirer. "Philippines Still Top Christian Country in Asia, 5th in World." Inquirer Global
Nation. 21 Dec. 2011. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://globalnation.inquirer.net/21233/philippines-still-top-christian-country-in-asia-5th-in-world>.
Miller, Jack. "Religion in the Philippines." Asia Society. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://asiasociety.org/countries/religions-philosophies/religion-philippines>.
Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions. "Catholic Social Teaching." Catholic Social Teaching. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/>.
Organizations aimed specifically at eliminating child labor would definitely help relieve the situation. However, these organizations are supported by financers from outside of the Philippines. I believe that the Church within the Philippines would be able to make a bigger difference in the improvement of the lives of child laborers because they are native to the region and have closer ties to the people. If support can be rallied throughout the country in the predominantly Catholic populations by spreading Catholic Social Teaching, real change can occur from within. Based on Catholic Social Teaching, Catholics have a commitment to the poor, and therefore to these helpless children that are forced to labor arduously (Catholic Social Teaching). By increasing the amount of ordained priests within the country, the Catholic authority will increase and Catholic Social Teaching will be able to be strengthened.
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“Catholic Social Teaching.” United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2012. Web. 13 May 2012.
I completely agree with Monique's evidence that creating organizations targeted specifically at the elimination of child labor would help relieve the Philippines of the issue. However, the funding necessary to put these organizations into effect may be out of the country's hands due to widespread poverty. After all, the issue of child labor is rooted in poverty and the lack of economic opportunities (ILO-IPEC). For this reason, the Filipino Church should focus its attention on first appealing to the general public. This way, support can be gained and people can work together to successfully resolve the issue. The best way to combat the issue is to educate the public because once informed, the community will be more understanding of the problem and thus more motivated to find a solution.
ReplyDelete"International Labour Organization-International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (ILO-IPEC)." ILO. Philippine ILO, 1998. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. .
Monique's argument is very accurate when she states the organizations can help solve child labor in the Philippines. However they obviously aren't enough because there are already organisations set up throughout the country, and yet child labor is still is a very severe issue. Therefore in order to help end this injustice, it would be more effective to have missionaries sent to Philippines to educate the Filipino people on the justices brought forth by Catholic Social Teaching. Thus these preachers should be sent to explain the most crucial points, such as every person is valued as they are made in the image of God. This states that people are more important than work and so no job is worth putting the lives of children in danger (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops). So since child labor in the Philippines threatens the safety of human lives and does allow children to participate in the will of God, it would be more helpful for missionaries to teach the Filipino people how to integrate Catholic beliefs in society and rid of the issue altogether.
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United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching. 12 May. 2012.
After reviewing the opinions of my peers, I see that Catholic organizations alone will not solve the problems of child labor in the Philippines. While these organizations will be able to provide money and resources to help the Philippines, they will not be able keep the teachings of the Catholic Social teachings there. In order to help keep these teachings there missionaries must be sent. Once missionaries are sent there they will be able to set up churches. After these churches are established more priests will be able to be ordained. These priests will be able to spread the Catholic Socials teachings throughout the Philippines. Once the Filipino people know about these teachings they can see how injustice child labor is. With the help of organizations, the priests will be able to get the funding they need to make the Filipino community aware of the injustice of child labor. Together missionaries, priests, and Catholic organizations can spread the Catholic Social Teachings and stop child labor in the Philippines.
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