The RISE-UP Project organized an advocacy planning workshop in Balay Silangan, Tagum City, on January 24, 2025, and participated by rural people’s organizations (RPOs) of Kapalong and Asuncion, Davao del Norte.  The activities aimed to empower the community to take ownership of child labor issues and work towards practical and sustainable solutions by involving relevant stakeholders in raising awareness.

The gathering presented the situation of child labor, which contains the statistics, root causes, and consequences of the problem. Local, national, and international laws regarding child labor and children’s rights were also underlined and discussed among participants, mainly from the RPOs /farmers organizations (FOs), local government officials, educators, NGOs, parents, and youth representatives.

Based on the challenges perceived and identified the role of stakeholders, the workshop drafted specific action plans and strategies addressing child labor rights at the community level through active engagement primarily from the local government, NGOs, schools, and religious organizations, among others. Resource mobilization and timeline of activities were discussed, as well as creating a local advocacy coalition.

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.