The problem
of child labor within the Philippines
is enormous. Although it is the only Christian nation in Asia, it is also one
of the nations with the highest amount of child labor within Southeast
Asia . More than eighty-six perfect of Filipinos claim to be of the
Roman Catholic faith (Miller). At the same time, it is estimated that about 2.4
million children are employed as child laborers within the Philippines (Corpuz).
The poor working conditions that the native children are exposed to include unsanitary
conditions, dangerous jobs, long hours, and so much more (Philippine Labour
Laws and Legislation). How can it be that the problem of child labor is so
pervasive in a dominantly Catholic country? Child labor is clearly a huge and
evident problem, and it is the duty of the Church to help fix it. To protect
the human dignity of the country’s children, as well as their rights as
workers, the Church within the Philippines
The Church
teaches that Catholics “are called to reach out
and to build relationships of love and justice” (Catholic Social Teaching). The
system of child labor within the Philippines Philippines
It is the duty of all
Catholics to spread Catholic Social Teaching and to halt injustices that try to
take away the basic rights of humans. Therefore, to help solve the problem of
child labor, religion can play a large role. The number of Catholics within the
Philippines
is available, but the masses simply need leaders to help push them in the right
direction. There is a lack of sufficient personnel within the Philippines to
push for the spread of Catholic Social Teaching, or to incite any real change
to occur. Therefore, focusing on increasing the number of priests and bishops
on the island would be a good first step. The ratio of clergymen to the
Catholic people is extremely low, so urging more vocations would definitely
help push the movement against child labor forward (Miller). From there, these
priests could build up in numbers, and therefore build up in strength to spread
the good news of Catholic Social Teaching to the masses throughout the Philippines. With
the large number of native Catholics, if the message of fighting against child
labor is successful, the majority of citizens would definitely stand up and
support this cause,
Sources:
Miller, Jack. "Religion in
the Philippines." http://www.seasite.niu.edu. AskAsia, 1996. Web.
29 Apr. 2012.
"Philippine Child Labour Laws
and Legislation." Working Together Against Child Labor: The Philippine
Campaign. Philippine ILO, 1998. Web. 29 Apr. 2012.
"The Philippines ." United States
Department of Labor. U.S.
Department of Labor, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2012.
Corpuz, Niña. "Child workers
in Philippines
number 2.4 M." ABS-CBNnews.com. ABS-CBN Interactiv, 2012.
Web. 29 Apr. 2012.
“Catholic Social Teaching.” United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops. United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2012.
Web. 13 May 2012.
I strongly agree with Catherine’s argument that all Catholics have a duty to uphold Catholic Social Teaching to prevent injustices that take away from the rights of humanity. Due to increased child labor, children are being exploited and used as mechanisms for economic initiative. However, the dignity of work and the rights of workers express the idea that the economy exists to serve the people, not the other way around (Seven Principles). While Catherine makes a valid point in saying it would be beneficial to increase the number of priests and bishops in the Philippines, I feel that this is an extensive and arduous process that will take too long to see any drastic results. In the meantime, Catholics should focus their attention on upholding Catholic Social Teaching by taking it upon themselves to make their beliefs and morals heard. The most effective way to approach the issue is to appeal to the masses, and this can best be done through the efforts of the Filipino Church.
ReplyDelete"Seven Principles of Catholic Social Teaching." Catholic Charities MKE. 2012. Web. 14 May 2012. .
I agree with Catherine that “It is the duty of all Catholics to spread Catholic Social Teaching and to halt injustices that try to take away the basic rights of humans” however, this cannot be done by just increasing the amount of clergy men within the country. Even if the Catholic Filipinos have a leader to teach them and guide them in the right direction, not all Filipinos will follow. Throughout the country, especially in rural areas, there are strong cultural traditions that will not change (The Philippine Campaign). By sending priests to preach these teachings, their traditions may feel threatened. Instead a good way to promote Catholic Social teachings it so send non-profit organizations to help the Philippines. One in particular is the Catholic Relief Services. They have agricultural programs in the Philippines which lift small-scale farmers from poverty by linking them to more profitable markets (Philippines). This helps end child labor because the economy is now strengthened by the agricultural program and children will no longer need to work. This program also does not affect the culture of the Philippines by directly preaching Catholic Social teachings.
ReplyDeleteThe 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.
Catherine’s solution to child labor seems quite useful; however it would not be completely effective without the use of missionaries personally teaching the Filipino people about the morals of Catholic Social Teaching. What Catherine is missing is that the problem is not simply a lack of a strong religious leader in the Philippines, but rather that the people need knowledge and to gain awareness. Thus, like Ally mentioned, the child labor issue cannot be resolved until people in the Philippines acknowledge that the economy must serve the people, not the other way around (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops). And until the people in the Philippines become aware that the lives of children are more valuable than the work that they do, then the problem will become much easier to solve. Therefore Catholic missionaries must go to the Philippines and not only teach the people how to do this, but also help them in their efforts to rid the country of this injustice.
ReplyDeleteSources:
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching. 12 May. 2012.
I believe that the argument of my group mates prove that this problem is extremely complex and cannot be fully solved through just one solution. All of our suggestions combined would definitely be able to decrease the amount of child labor within the Philippines, from the religious view. However, to fully rid the country of the problem, the economic, political, and social problems must be taken into account as well. There are so many different aspects of the problem, and it is deeply rooted many things. Since the Philippines consists of such a large Catholic population, the religious aspects of the problem cannot be ignored. With an increase in ordained clergymen, stronger spread of the message of the Catholic Social Teaching, and help from non-profit organizations abroad, the Church can push to eliminate the problem of child labor.
ReplyDelete