This month's feature celebrating women and motherhood. I wanted to talk about a very sensitive topic that the conservative communities doesn't even want to talk about. - Family Planning. What's wrong with Family Planning? Why the conservatives especially the religious domination voices their concerns? What do you do when you have 3 kids and you can't even afford to feed them? What do you do when you are just a kid and you have no choice but to work because your parents can't afford to even send you to school? #awarenessmonth Children are most often involved in child labour because their parents or guardians consider it ‘normal’ for children to work, and sometimes for children’s own survival and that of their families. I want to talk more about child labour especially to my beloved country, The Philippines.
ECLT Foundation points out Povert, Lack of Access To Education, Lack of Decent Work, Limited Understanding of Child Labour, Climate Change and Natural Disasters are the major root causes of Child Labour BUT THIS IS NOT THE CASE IN THE PHILIPPINES. The Philippine government has been pushing responsible parenthood and reproductive bill of rights but the religious denomination - The Catholic Church is against it. WHY? The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012, known as the RH Law, is a groundbreaking law that guarantees universal and free access to nearly all modern contraceptives for all citizens, including impoverished communities, at government health centers. From church weddings, christening, birthdays, property blessings (car or house blessings, opening a business, etc.) are source of money making to the church where "Father" or the priest is always present on these occasions. My parents' generation starting from my dad's side where he has 5 siblings, all of them has at least 3 kids - do the math. 6 weddings, 3 kids on 6 families with christenings, birthdays and so on where "the church" are always involve up to your teenage years and the process repeates when you get married, have kids. "Be Fruitful and Multipy" is truly ingrained in every Filipino. A couple who can't even put food on the table encourages to have kids - "kids are blessings". Most parents married young, have kids in their 20's, and a year later, another kid and more. Every year, a baby is born in one household but the parents can't even make a living with the mentality "bahala na" - leave it to the heavens. "Que sera sera, whatever will be, will be, the future is not ours to see, que sera sera". Literally. most Filipinos were raised this way. The children suffers. From the young age, parents will keep telling their children that they are poor and it's their fate so when they grow up they have to help their parents. Seeing that on a young age, the kids will do their best to help their families. It's common to see that a 6 or 7 years old selling on the street and they will tell you that they are helping their parents while they are going to school. Why the Philippine Government is not doing anything? The government has done so many projects. If you look it up, you will see departments like Department of Social Welfare, TESDA, Department of Higher Education and other sectors. There's free education on public schools, government has provided housing, vocational courses to get decent jobs and other sustainability programs to less fortunate, minimum wage earners and unemployed. Why Filipinos are not taking advantage of it? They sell their housing and would rather go back begging on the street or doing shitty jobs, encouraging their kids to work alongside them. Then they complain to the government that they were starving there and there's not enough jobs for them. The Poor Mentality Problem in every Filipino. "We are poor, life is hard, the government is not doing anything to change our situation". If you ask a Filipino how many siblings they have, it's not surprising that you will hear their stories how they, as the eldest work at the same time support the rest of their younger siblings to finish school. And when the kids started to earn from their first job, their responsibility still continues that they have to support their parents by giving shares on household expenses or sending money back home. THIS IS A HUGE FACTOR WHY FILIPINOS WORK SO HARD. The generation of our parents in the 90's are different now in 2000's. 70% of the working class don't get married until the age of 45 years old unless they can afford to have a house or any permanent situation in life. Our generation today is more in touch with reality - that we have to work for the future so we don't suffer like our parents did. TO THE ELDERS OF OUR CHURCHES AND COMMUNITIES, STOPS ASKING US ABOUT MARRIAGE WHEN WE CAN'T AFFORD TO HAVE A FAMILY YET! Funny that there's a news article published on Inquirer.Net that the catholic church has a shout out to the younger generation to get married and they described it as "alarming" due to declining population of not getting married. Support these causes, stop child labour. Let's educate ourselves better Filipinos. https://www.ilo.org/ https://www.savethechildren.org. Hope you share and spread the message. It takes an open mind and an open heart to change our lives. I have done it and I'm here now on where I want to be, you can do it too.
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AuthorAdvocate of authentic self. Lover of life. Passionate on understanding humans. Serving with a purpose, one day at a time. Archives
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Photos used under Creative Commons from mikecohen1872, tomaszbaranowski007, wuestenigel, Terry Goodyer, dan.terrett