The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Negros Oriental is regularly monitoring child laborers in the province to ensure that they are getting proper education, an official said yesterday.

Vivencio Lagahid, DOLE-Negros Oriental director, said in an interview that at least 150 child laborers in Bais City have been identified and profiled.

“The government has placed emphasis on the elimination of child labor in the country and to protect them from exploitation. We want to make sure that these children must be in school during school days while the parents are provided livelihood training,” Lagahid said.

These child laborers are working at sugarcane fields, as house help, and even as street vendors assisting their parents, he said.

In line with the 123rd World Day Against Child Labor, celebrated every June 12, the DOLE and the Bais City government collaborated to provide activities for these children and their parents.

School supplies, hygiene kits, and rice were distributed to the attendees, who were also briefed about labor laws, specifically on child labor and the rights of the child, at the city’s evacuation and multi-purpose center.

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority also provided training for the parents of child laborers on cooking and baking.

Lagahid said that once they are equipped with the necessary skills, they would be given livelihood assistance.

The DOLE chose Bais City as the venue for this year’s celebration of World Day Against Child Labor because it was the first in the province to have immediately identified child laborers.

Other areas in Negros Oriental have also been identified to have child laborers, although Lagahid could not give a specific number.

He assured that these child laborers are being profiled as he called on local governments to support government efforts to rid the streets of children and send them back to school instead. (PNA)