Problem of children in drug production, sale and trafficking tackled in national conference
by Mitchell P. Duran, ILO-IPEC

Volume V, Number I, June 2005 Issue

Representatives from government, non-government organizations, and research institutions gathered at a national conference in Manila in August 2003 to tackle the dangers faced by children involved in the drugs trade, particularly in Metro Manila.

They also drew up strategies based on successful community-based action programs in a move to protect children against drug abuse, as well as reduce, if not eliminate, the involvement of the youth in the production, sale, and trafficking of drugs.

Jointly organized by the Ateneo de Manila University-Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and the International Labour Organization-International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (ILO-IPEC), the “National Conference on Children in Drugs: Effective Community-Based Strategies in Prevention and Demand Reduction” was held on 11-12 August 2004 at the Richmonde Hotel, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

Highly vulnerable.  Dangers faced by children engaged in the drugs trade go beyond the physical, psychological, and mental disorders prevalent among drug addicted children because children in the drug trade lead their day-to-day lives in a criminal environment.  Existing research shows that they are often exposed to situations involving conflict and tension, and are always suspicious and fearful.  Once involved, they are caught in a vicious trap, subjected to harassment by drug leaders.

According to the ILO-IPEC, children involved in drug sales and trafficking are difficult to trace and identify, as is often the case with other worst forms of child labor.  Social and political sensitivity to the issue, the illegal and hidden nature of the trade, associated security risks and the potential difficulties in addressing the problem, make it necessary to use a cautious and process-based approach.

In 2000, ILO-IPEC commissioned a rapid assessment of working children engaged in the production, sale, and trafficking of drugs.  Covering several urban poor communities in Metro Manila, the study revealed that a significant proportion of children and youth are engaged in the illicit trading, trafficking, and abuse of drugs.  It also showed that these children come from impoverished households with high levels of abuse and violence.

New approach needed.  However, not much was known about the profile of the working children engaged in substance abuse, sale, and trafficking; the pattern of recruitment into the drug network and the strategies or techniques employed in getting the children hooked into drugs/ drug network; and how these children could be “weaned” or dislodged from the drug network and become part of the mainstream institution of work, education, and social networks in the community.

With ILO-IPEC support, the Ateneo de Manila University, Addictus-Philippines, Families and Children for Empowerment and Development Foundation Inc., and Kapatiran Komunidad People’s Coalition began implementing in 2003 a community-based participatory action research designed to prevent working children from the use, sale, and trafficking of drugs.

Zeroing in on three pilot communities in Metro Manila, the participatory action research was geared toward plugging some of the data gaps about children in drugs.  The research and program activities of community-based partners led to the identification of a strategic set of preventive and rehabilitative interventions.  It also improved the capabilities of the partner NGOs/ POs in implementing direct services to children and their families.

The interventions sought to reach children at risk, as well as those involved in drugs through youth mobilization, community and family mobilization, counseling for families and children, and referral services for families and the child victims, among others.

By showcasing the findings and recommendations of the actions taken by the communities, the conference sought to engage and influence policy-makers, program planners and implementers in devising mechanisms to protect children involved in the production, sale, and distribution of illegal drugs and substances.