Philippines

More than 3.2 million children work in the Philippines. Barely ten percent of these children also go to school. This is a problem, since quality education and general access to it is a globally-recognized solution to poverty. 

Most of the children work in the informal sector. They are exploited as street vendors, domestic helpers or in agriculture. Children work long hours and are exposed to physical, emotional and sexual abuse. They are forced to work, for example, in dangerous mines or even under water.

We fight against child labor in the Philippines. We work together with parties that also fight against child exploitation. These are often local organizations that know the children's environment well.

We also work with companies and the local government to improve the safety and education of children who work there. We are campaigning to make the disadvantages of child labor clear, so that fewer children are exploited.

Children from poor families are most likely to be exploited. They run a great risk of being traded. The estimated number of trafficked children ranges from 20,000 to 100,000.

Traders worldwide are gaining the trust of children and families with beautiful talk. They promise to offer a better life elsewhere. In the meantime they are being exploited.

Many of these children come from poor areas such as Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and the slums of large cities. They are forced to work. In the household, brothels, bars, factories, or on plantations. These children are also extremely vulnerable to sexual exploitation.