DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY-DASMARIÑAS

Strategic Management in Public Service Asec. Juvy Danofrata

PROPOSED CASE STUDY

Proposed Topic: Government efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor

Proposed Title: On Eliminating the Worst Forms of Child Labor:

A Comparative Study between the Philippine Department of Labor and
Employment and the Colombia Ministry of Labor Initiatives
Objectives: The researcher aims to conduct a comparative analysis between the Philippines
and Colombian government initiatives and its recent results on combating the
prevalence of the worst forms of child labor with focus on their respective labor
agency responsible for child labor law enforcement using a descriptive case
study approach and/or article reviews.

Further, the study aims to find the gap between the two countries and explore
possible recommendations to significantly eliminate child labor, specifically in
the Philippines. Such recommendations aim to contribute on how to
strategically manage the pressing issue of the worst forms of child labor in the
country.
Rationale: This study focuses on the Philippines and Colombia’s status on eliminating the
worst forms of child labor. Recent studies have shown that there have been a
majority of near similarities between the two countries in terms of 1)
prevalence and sectoral distribution of child labor, 2) legal framework, 3)
enforcement of laws, 4) coordination of government efforts, 5) government
policies, and 6) social programs to address child labor.

Further, the researcher, who currently works in the Philippine Department of

Labor and Employment, has been exposed to the agency’s social programs on
eliminating child labor, thereby contributing descriptive phenomenological
reports to this study whenever deemed necessary— subject to validation
through the use of comprehensive data. The result of this study may also
significantly contribute towards the improvement of the said agency’s practices.
Problem: Despite these near commonalities, there is the underlying question on why and
how Colombia attained the significant advancement status on eliminating the
worst forms of child labor based on the 2021 findings of the Bureau of
International Labor Affairs (ILAB). This study would also like to explore the
challenges faced by both countries and institutions in enforcing their respective
laws or programs in combating child labor which may have affected their
progress on addressing the said issue.
Method Records and/or archival review
Profile
Country Philippines Colombia
Status on the 2021 Moderate Advancement Significant Advancement
Findings on the
Worst Forms of
Child Labor
Statistics on Working Children age 5 to 14= 2.0% Working Children age 5 to 14= 2.5%
Children’s Work Attending School age 5 to 14= 95.5% Attending School age 5 to 14= 93.7%
and Education Combining Work and School age 7 to Combining Work and School age 7 to
14= 2.1% 14= 2.5%
Primary Completion Rate= 105.8% Primary Completion Rate= 106.8%

Working Children by Sector, Working Children by Sector,

ages 5 to 14: ages 5 to 14:

● Agriculture= 44.9% ● Agriculture= 47.3%

Calara, Maria Stephanie G. | Master in Sustainable Leadership and Governance

 DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY-DASMARIÑAS
Strategic Management in Public Service
● Services= 49.6%
● Industry= 5.5%
● Categorical Worst Forms of
Child Labor
Agency DOLE
Responsible for Department of Labor and
Child Labor Law Employment:
Enforcement Bureau of Working Conditions (BWC)
and Bureau of Workers with Special
Concerns (BWSC)
Role ● Manages the labor inspection
program that oversees
inspections conducted by
DOLE regional offices
nationwide, including
enforcement of child labor
laws.
● BWC also oversees the
training of labor inspectors,
manages the DOLE Labor
Inspection Management
Information System, and
responds to queries and
complaints on labor
standards and working
conditions, including
complaints on child labor,
received through the DOLE
1349 hotline.
● Inspects establishments and
monitors compliance with
labor laws in the formal
sector.
● BWSC oversees the Profiling
Child Laborers Initiative.
● Mandated to develop
policies, programs, and
systems that champion the
development and protection
of disadvantaged workers by
contributing to their decent
and productive employment.
● Provides advisory and
technical assistance to the
Labor Secretary and regional
offices.
Calara, Maria Stephanie G. | Master in Sustainable Leadership and Governance
Asec. Juvy Danofrata
● Services= 36%
● Industry= 16.7%
● Categorical Worst Forms of
Child Labor
MoL
Ministry of Labor
● Receives complaints of labor
law violations and conducts
inspections, including
inspections to verify labor
conditions for adolescent
workers and compliance with
other child labor provisions.
● Oversees the Internal Working
Group on child Labor
Eradication.
● Operates the Comprehensive
Child Labor Information system,
a child labor monitoring system
that identifies children engaged
in or at risk of child labor.
● Collects fines for labor
violations assessed after
January 1, 2020, and
administers proceeds through a
fund designated to strengthen
the labor inspectorate.
● Adopted a “Guide for
Identification of Possible Cases
of Trafficking in Persons for the
Purpose of Forced Labor” to
help labor inspectors identify
forced labor crimes.
 DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY-DASMARIÑAS

Strategic Management in Public Service Asec. Juvy Danofrata

● During the reporting year,

along with the World Vision
Executive Director, signed an
MOU that seeks to
strengthen regulations and
policies on the worst forms of
child labor, specifically online
sexual exploitation of
children (OSEC) and
hazardous working
conditions.

● World Day Against Child

Labor

Scope and This study covers only the roles, programs/initiatives, and the results of the
Limitations actions taken by the Department of Labor and Employment and the
Ministry of Labor which is majorly based on the 2021 ILAB findings on
the worst forms of child labor and other significantly related journal
studies available.

References* ● USDOL
● 2021 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor
● Bureau of International Labor Affairs

*as of February 17,2023

Calara, Maria Stephanie G. | Master in Sustainable Leadership and Governance