The SIMPOC Philippine Survey of Children 2001: a data source for analyzing occupational injuries to children

Child labor is a global issue that exists in both industrialized and developing countries. With the unanimous adoption of International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 182 in 1999 calling for the immediate elimination of the worst forms of child labor, ratifying member countries have committed themselves to identifying hazardous work for children in the context of their respective legislative frameworks. Part of tackling the problem of child labor is knowing what types of occupational activities children are engaged in, what types of work environments they are under, and what risks of injuries and illnesses they are exposed to while working. Using the Philippines as a country example, this study introduces a promising data source on children's work and presents a methodology for examining hazardous work to children through the examination of injury rates. Data for this study rely primarily on a nationally representative dataset from the Survey of Children 2001 carried out by the Philippine National Statistics Office, covering the months of October 2001 to September 2002.