The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided assistance to more than 12,000 child laborers from 2021 to 2024 through the Strategic Help desks for Information, Education, Livelihood, and Other Developmental Interventions (SHIELD) Against Child Labor Program. Of this total, 3,887 minors have already been reintegrated into their families and communities, according to the DSWD.
“Child labor is a serious concern that hinders the development of children. To address this problem, the DSWD implements the SHIELD Against Child Labor Program, which is a community-based initiative that employs a whole-of-society approach to provide holistic and immediate interventions to child laborers and their families,” stated Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao in a news release on Tuesday.
To strengthen the DSWD’s campaign to end all forms of child labor in the country, the agency conducted a four-day training for Field Office focal persons involved in the implementation of SHIELD in Malay, Aklan, from July 1 to 4. The training focused on enhancing the competencies of service providers in providing technical assistance to local government units (LGUs) by improving their knowledge, skills, and attitudes in program implementation and case management processes.
“This is to ensure the sustainability of program implementation, particularly at the local level,” the DSWD spokesperson added.
The SHIELD Program, which is being implemented across all 16 regions of the country, aims to strengthen anti-child labor efforts at the local level, including the establishment of help desks and a local registry on child labor for referral and convergence of support services.
“In the establishment of barangay help desks, convergence of services will take place to respond to the needs of child laborers and their families,” Dumlao explained.
Services provided at barangay help desks may include health support, rescue and recovery, counseling, skills training, legal facilitation, livelihood skills development, and educational, financial, and capital assistance.
The SHIELD Program also focuses on raising awareness among parents about laws against child labor, their children’s rights, and how they can better provide for their families.
“Parents are not prosecuted but are made to understand their roles as parents. The parents and communities are also organized to help in combating child labor,” Dumlao concluded.