The rapid assessment (RA) on girl-child labor in agriculture in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) was commissioned by International Labour Organization/International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (ILO/IPEC) and was produced by the Institute for Labor Studies (ILS). It was conducted from March 13 to 21, 2002

Of the respondent-children interviewed in the CAR, almost 60% of the sample size were composed of girls engaged in agriculture. These respondents chiefly worked on small neighboring farms or family-owned farms.

The respondents were sourced from three provinces in the CAR, namely Abra, Benguet and Mountain Province. Disparities in the working conditions of the child laborers were extremely evident. The more poverty-stricken the target area, the poorer the working conditions of the child laborers were.

Children in the CAR usually began working before their 10^th year, with girls starting slightly later. With regards to working conditions, however, there appeared negligible disparity between the girl-child and the boy-child. The girl-child was, however, more likely to stay and attend school than her male counterpart.

A key factor in starting work as an agricultural laborer by most respondents was their desire to contribute to the family income. It is noteworthy that a higher percentage of girls in comparison to boys appear to have decided by themselves to begin working in the farms.

Apart from missing out on schooling particularly during harvest season, children perform many tasks without any training or personal protective equipment and clothing, and are exposed to hazardous chemicals and serious injuries.

Payment for agricultural work remains very low, even as most respondents tend to give more of their earnings to their families or use it for their school needs.

The RA recommends that society’s acceptance or indifference towards child labor should be challenged, more specific policies be created and more awareness among policy-makers, parents and the children themselves be established.