AsiaDHRRA, PhilDHRRA, and Community Organizers Multiversity (COM) visited the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE), the Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC), and the Bangsamoro Youth Commission (BYC) on March 19, 2025, in Cotabato City for an initial discussion on the Elimination of Child Labor (ECL)in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The meeting brought together the RISE-UP Project team to present the comprehensive situational analysis report of the current state of child labor in BARMM, the integrated action plan, the capacity-building programs organized, and the policy recommendations.  It is expected from the meeting for the team and the commission officials to evaluate the extent, prevalence, and nature of child labor and form a cohesive and collaborative approach to tackling child labor in BARMM in the future.

The first meeting was conducted in the office of MOLE’s Minister, Mr. Muslimin Sema, with topics that surround on project updates, the potential solutions through government local programs and initiatives, and baseline survey findings including the challenges faced in data interpretation. The discussion has examined aligning the advocacy work with the Bangsamoro context, particularly the agricultural and indigenous people setting in South Upi, and the creation and maintenance of functional committees at the local levels. It was also important to distinguish between child labor and family-oriented work and streamline the ECL work within BARMM through department coordination.

The discussion with the office of Director Junnah Montilla of BWC focused on the limitations of the institution primarily on its mandate focused on women’s issues and no direct child labor programs.  However, the office can operate as a coordinating and monitoring agency with potential entry points through policy research and advocacy.  It was also considered during the meeting to align future collaborations with BWC’s existing programs and utilize mothers as primary intervention points for ECL.

Lastly, the meeting with BYC under Chairperson Nasserudin D. Dunding, MAPDS, proposed collaboration on enhancing the existing ordinance to be child-friendly, institutionalizing the Municipal Child Protection Council, aligning Sangguniang Kabataan’s (SK) resources to support families with child labor, and supporting policy development and advocacy channels. Moreover, implementing an online accreditation system for your organization was also identified as part of the action plan.

Through the Resilience Inclusion Sustainability Empowerment Unity Progress (RISE-UP) Project, the collaborative effort is essential in bringing together key stakeholders to develop effective strategies to unify activities, share knowledge, and create comprehensive targets and plans to eliminate child labor in the region.  RISE-UP is an EU-funded initiative in “Harnessing CSO Capacities for ECL Action through multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Agri-Entrepreneurship Project” in partnership with Kaanib Foundation Inc., Community Organizers Multiversity, and PhilDHRRA.

Updated: March 21, 2025