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/>.
