The child labor problem in the country is compounded by the difficulty in prosecuting the parents for violating provisions of the Anti-Child Labor Law, DOLE regional director Elias Cayanong said.

He also said the Department of Labor can not intervene in cases when there is no employer-employee relationship, such as the case of "informal" workers or those in the "pakyaw" basis.

Cayanong admitted that agency is facing a dilemma in monitoring child labor in the agriculture sector, because the employers are not in the field all the time to check the employment of children, especially when they are hired on a "pakyaw" basis.

Parents usually reason that they bring their children to the workplace because there is nobody to take care of them at home, he said. However, the educational upbringing of the child is disrupted. In partnership with the Department of Education, the DOLE is eyeing the creation of a specific module or class hours for these children without necessarily violating their rights, Cayanong said.

A study will also be conducted as to which area in the agriculture sector these children can be allowed to work, he said.

Meanwhile, the provincial police office disclosed that no single case of child labor was reported before police desks all over the province since January this year.

Senior Insp. Bebe Abellon expressed surprise at the data presented where 53 percent of child labor was reported in Oriental Negros. She said most children in the agricultural sector are being treated by their parents as an economic commodity. Parents also theorize that it is better to have more children to help them earn their daily livelihood, and some may be employed as house helpers, she added.*JG

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