It also includes the situation of children below the age of 18 who are employed in hazardous conditions. (Representatives 1994:3).
B. What is current child labor situation in the Philippines?.
The current child labor situation in the Philippines has recently raced enormous concern. In the 1995 Children Survey conducted by DOLE, results revealed that about three in every twenty children have worked in the past year. Males compromised two-thirds of the working children.
The proportion of working males increases with age. Looking at the sex ratio, the ratio of working male to every one hundred working female increases from 171 for age group 5 to 9 years to 181 for age group 10 to14 years. The absolute increase doubles as the children reach the working age of 15. For age group 15 to17, there are 200 working males for every 100 working females or 2 males for every1 female. (NSO 1995).
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Working male children out number females in both urban and rural areas. 2/3 of working children lives in the rural areas. This maybe due to unpaid farm work participated in by family members during planting and /or harvesting seasons.
Based on the1995 children of the Philippines Survey, Only 69.8% reported to have attended school during school years 1994-1995 and 1995 to 1996. They compromised mostly of male working children (62.5%), out numbering the female working children (38.5%).
Working children from the rural areas have higher school attendance (67.3%) tha those from the urban areas (32.7%). Most of these working children reported the same kind of problems encountered in schooling. Ranked, as the first three problems were high cost of school supplies/books/transportation's, school distance from the residence is too far, and difficulty in catching up with lessons (NSO 1995). .
Working children inevitably experience multiple work-related problems. .
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Only 2 out of 10 children express that they did not encounter any problem in relation to their work.
