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In the interest of the service and in line with the National Program Against Child Labor (NPACL or the Program) goal of making the invisible visible, the Guidelines and Operational Procedures on the Master Listing of Child Laborers, which concept has been approved by the National Child Labor Committee on March 18, 2002, is hereby issued for adoption and implementation by this Department, including the attached agencies, its Regional Offices and the NPACL Partners.

A.
Rationale 

The strategic direction of the Program framework for 2002 to 2004 has recognized that one of the key characteristics of child labor is the relative invisibility of those engaged in it. This poses problems in identifying necessary and appropriate interventions to be provided to these working children, their families and communities. It must be stressed that the Philippine government, having ratified ILO Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor, is committed to take immediate and effective measures to secure the prohibition of the forms of child labor in our country.

The development of a database of child laborers through a systematic collection, analysis and evaluation of data on working children is, therefore, necessary to address the above concern. Master listing child laborers will enable the NPACL implementers to identify particular child laborers in specific areas, their immediate needs or concerns and the appropriate services and interventions necessary to improve the quality of life of these working children, their families and possibly their communities. Data gathered will also help in the assessment of the impact of the Program.

B.
  Objective 

A computerized databank on child laborers benefiting from NPACL services and interventions, that will reflect their number, socio-economic profile, geographical distribution, as well as the nature, extent and effect of services availed of, established by end of June 2003.

C.
  Coverage 

Master listing of child laborers shall be done in all regions and in all areas or localities with existing/on-going activities or services aligned with the goals of the Program, regardless of the funding source, and shall cover each child who is:

1. rescued/removed/pulled out from child labor, or
2. found to be in child labor and given intervention or service to gradually remove him or her from such situation, or
3. prevented from being engaged in child labor, such as those found being recruited for work activities not allowed for children and given intervention or service. 

For this purpose, intervention or service refers to any direct service provided by DOLE and its partners to the child laborer and his or her family, such as restitution, legal assistance, temporary shelter, educational assistance, job placement for an older sibling, livelihood skills training for parents, among others.

  D.
Operational Procedures   

For DOLE Regional Offices and Attached Agencies' centers, branches or units

1. The DOLE Regional Office (RO) shall designate a Chief LEO to manage the master listing of child laborers and at least one technical staff to assist him or her.

2. Personnel from any Division, District Office or Provincial Office of the DOLE RO who encounter child laborers in the course of their activities shall accomplish the attached Form in accordance with the accompanying instructions and send it to the designated Chief LEO through the Regional Director.

3. Personnel from any DOLE Attached Agency or its Branch, Unit or Center who encounter the above described child laborers shall refer them or send the information to the Regional Office for master listing and other appropriate action.

4. The designated RO personnel shall ensure the collection of accomplished Master Listing Forms, and the transfer of accurate information from the Form to the computerized databank through encoding. They shall also ensure that Forms accomplished and submitted by NPACL partners are returned to the latter after encoding, if such is the arrangement.

5. The Regional Director shall ensure that the Master List of Child Laborers in the region as stored in the computerized databank will be continuously updated and made electronically available to the Bureau of Women and Young Workers. The RO shall report on the status of its Master List to the BWYW not later than every last working day of July. 

For DOLE Partners in the NPACL

1. Partner organizations, whether government or not, implementing the Program at the local level, shall designate from among their ranks particular individual/s who will undertake the master listing activity.

2. The designated person shall record, using Master Listing Form 1, data for each child laborer encountered or being serviced by his/her organization in specific localities, as may be gathered through performance of duties, home visitation, interview, survey or other similar means and activities of the organization.

3. Program partners that use other intake forms per child laborer, as required by the needs of their organization and where data asked in Master Listing Form 1 can be derived, will submit copy of the accomplished intake form to the DOLE Regional Office.

4. The Program partner shall submit the appropriate intake forms on per semester basis to the DOLE Regional Office having jurisdiction over the locality or area where the services are provided. If original copies are submitted, they may arrange with the DOLE Regional Office that the same shall be returned, after DOLE encoding, to the partner organization, for its ready reference and regular updating. 

For the BWYW

1. The BWYW shall develop a computerized database system on master listed child laborers and maintain the same for easy access to information on child laborers, in support to policy formulation and program development. At a later phase, the BWYW shall develop a system to link all the regional offices' data on master listed child laborers and have access thereon.

2. The BWYW shall likewise consolidate data on all master listed child laborers from all regions, maintain the national databank and ensure that any information derived from the databank would be used for official and Program purposes only.

E.
Effectivity  

These guidelines and procedures shall take effect immediately.

Adopted: 12 Dec. 2002

(SGD.) PATRICIA A. STO. TOMAS
Secretary