Marrakech Framework: Helping SDG signatories close child-labor shortfall

THE Marrakech Global Framework for Action Against Child Labour Global has released a “Roadmap to 2030” to help sustainable development goals (SDGs) signatories ultimately eradicate child labor, after the international community failed to meet a 2025 deadline for doing so.

The framework, adopted during a conference between Feb. 11 and 13, aims to address the “intolerable situation” for the 138 million children who remain in child labor, including 54 million performing hazardous work.

Julius H. Cainglet, vice-president of the Federation of Free Workers, told BusinessWorld that the new framework builds upon the 2022 Durban Call to Action.

Mr. Cainglet, a trade unionist from the Philippines and conference delegate, said via teleconference: “It’s clear that we made a step forward decisions meant to complement and give more flesh to the previous Durban Declaration.”

Delegates agreed that “gradual change is no longer enough” to ensure a sustained reduction. Mr. Cainglet said discussions highlighted emerging challenges, including the online exploitation of children, as well as the effects of climate change and recurring economic crises on vulnerable households.

In the Philippines, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) reported that though child labor numbers are declining, the scale of the problem remains significant.

Merriam Leilani M. Reynoso, director of the Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns, said  the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that in 2024, an estimated 861,000 children aged 5 to 17 were working, with 509,000 — or 59.1% — classified as child laborers.

Ms. Reynoso told BusinessWorld via messenger chat that while the numbers have declined from 828,000 in 2022 and 678,000 in 2023, they remain particularly concentrated in agriculture.

“The agriculture sector continued to account for the largest share of child laborers at 64.4%,” she said, followed by services at 29% and industry at 6.6%.

To address the problem, the government has tasked the National Council Against Child Labor (NCACL) to oversee the Philippine Program Against Child Labor.

“The NCACL is tasked to coordinate and oversee the implementation of the Philippine Program Against Child Labor by all concerned agencies and organizations for the protection of the rights of the vulnerable, especially the children, strengthen related institutional mechanisms, and establish further measures to contribute to the prevention, reduction, and elimination of any form of child labor,” Ms. Reynoso explained.

Mr. Cainglet said the root cause of child labor is household poverty and argued that ensuring a living wage for adult workers is the most effective intervention.

“If a parent receives a living wage, the child no longer needs to work,” he said.

According to a December 2025 estimate by the IBON Foundation, a family of five in Metro Manila requires daily income of P1,251 — or about P27,201 per month — to live decently.

By comparison, the current minimum wage in the National Capital Region stands at P695 per day. Minimum wage rates are set by the National Wages and Productivity Commission.

At the household level, Ms. Reynoso pointed to the Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program, which adopts what she described as a “strategic and holistic” approach to assisting child laborers and their families.

In 2025, DoLE’s Integrated Livelihood Program provided assistance to 9,951 parents of child laborers. According to Ms. Reynoso, this included providing raw materials and tools for various small businesses, such as “rice retailing, snack vending, tailoring, fishing tools… hog raising… and the provision of fishing boats” to ensure alternative income for families.

The Marrakech Framework also introduces a stronger focus on psychosocial support and mental health services for child labor survivors. Mr. Cainglet said this is a critical addition for children who “would rather work than play” and miss out on normal stages of development.

However, he noted persistent policy gaps at the national level, citing inconsistencies between labor laws and the K-12 education system.

“You’re already 18 years old, yet you’re still in Grade 11 or Grade 12. But a 15-year-old is allowed to work,” he said, arguing that the legal minimum working age should align with the completion of basic education.

The Marrakech Framework concludes with a commitment to universal ratification of ILO Convention 138 and a roadmap to monitor progress via the Child Labour Observatory, with the goal of reaching zero child labor by 2030. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking