As part of its commitment to shield children from all forms of labor, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to protect individuals who were forced into labor at a young age through the provision of holistic and immediate interventions on the ground.

For thousands of children across the country, especially those living in disadvantaged areas, the right to play, learn, and dream seems almost unattainable.

Thanks to DSWD’s Strategic Helpdesks for Information, Education, Livelihood, and Other Developmental Interventions or SHIELD against child labor program, the profiled child laborers across the country are now withdrawn from the worst forms of child labor.

“Ipew”, not his real name is one of the profiled child laborers in the municipality of Rodriguez in Rizal province. The 15-year-old is now undergoing various interventions to help him gradually withdraw from the labor he was forced to work with.

Heavily burdened by labor during his childhood days, Ipew would carry kilos of goods from the mountains down to Sitio Wawa proper. His days were consumed by physical toil rather than education and play.

“Masakit din po ang katawan ko kapag mabigat po ýon dala ko. Kinakaya ko na lang po pero mahirap naman po pababa kapag umuulan. Nagbubuhat po ako ng mga kalakal namin, pantinda-tinda namin, mga saging po na saba, panate, saka po mga abokado. Para po makatulong din ako sa mga nanay ko po at tatay ko po,” Ipew narrated.

(It also hurts my body when what I’m carrying is heavy. I just endure it, but it’s hard to go downhill when it rains. I carry our goods, the ones we sell, like saba bananas, peanuts, and avocados, to help my mother and father.)

For his parents, seeing Ipew working at the age of 15 is hard but they were left with no choice but to accept the harsh reality of poverty that trapped their family and Ipew into a cycle of hardship

“Wala kaming makain kapag hindi po sila magtulong sa amin magkarga ng kalakal… May pambili kami ng bigas, pang-ulam namin, pang-kape,” Amelia Collentes, Ipew’s mother, said.

(We have nothing to eat if we don’t help carry the goods. We use the money to buy rice, food, and coffee.)

A new lease on life has arrived for Ipew and his family through the DSWD’s SHIELD Against Child Labor program. This initiative was replicated by the local government unit (LGU) of Rodriguez to rescue and rehabilitate child laborers in their town, offering them a chance at a brighter future.

SHIELD provides multi-layered and comprehensive support and interventions that are suitable to the needs of child laborers and their families.

Under this program, Ipew and his family received educational assistance and livelihood aid, transforming their circumstances and opening new opportunities.

The Rodriguez LGU, which signed a formal agreement with the DSWD in implementing the SHIELD against child labor program last February, has set up help desks in target barangays to ensure that immediate and appropriate interventions are available at hand. Through these platforms, case referrals to other government agencies are easily facilitated.

“Ginalvanize natin ýong pakikipagsundo, pakikipag-partner with DSWD about this…  Sa pamamagitan nitong programang ito, we cannot eradicate definitely but minimize the number of child laborers in the municipality,” Delilah Chua, the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer (MSWDO) of Rodriguez LGU, emphasized.

(We have galvanized our agreement and partnership with the DSWD about this. Through this program, we cannot completely eradicate child labor, but we can minimize the number of child laborers in the municipality.)

Today, Ipew is no longer a child laborer. He will now continue his studies at thevWawa Elementary School as a grade six pupil.

“Pangarap ko sa buhay na mapagtapos po ako sa pag-aaral tapos makapagtrabaho po ako bilang electrician,” Ipew said.

(My dream in life is to finish my studies and then work as an electrician.)

“Ang gusto ko po ang hahawakan ng anak ko po, lapis, ballpen, para hindi na siya maghirap sa bundok po,” Nanay Amelia said.

(I want my child to hold a pencil and pen so that he won’t have to struggle in the mountains.)

Ipew’s story is one of the many success tales of the SHIELD program, which has served some 10,192 child laborers from 2021 to 2023, of which, 1,986 have already been assessed to be free from any form of child labor and reintegrated into their families and communities.

Through programs like SHIELD, the DSWD continues to champion the rights of children, working tirelessly to turn dreams into reality and to ensure that every child is free to play, learn, and aspire.

More than anything else, the DSWD is hopeful that someday, through the  collaboration between the national and local governments, millions of children will soon enjoy their childhood. #