From Dump Sites to Classrooms: How Bangsamoro Is Reclaiming Childhoods From Child Labour

Child labour strips children of their most basic rights: protection, education, health, and hope. But in Bangsamoro, that story is beginning to change.

For years, children in the Bangsamoro region of the southern Philippines began their days not in classrooms, but at garbage dumps and farm fields.

From dawn until dusk, they scavenged for plastic and cans to sell, inhaled toxic fumes, and missed school entirely. One former child scavenger recalls a life shaped by survival rather than learning: “We live near the garbage dump. We are scavengers.”

In rural Bangsamoro—an agriculture-based region long affected by poverty and armed conflict—child labour has been a harsh reality. Another child worker shared: “Since I was 12, I worked daily from 7:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., then again from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.”

Child labour strips children of their most basic rights: protection, education, health, and hope. But in Bangsamoro, that story is beginning to change.

A film that captures a turning point

That transformation is powerfully documented in Learning Not Labour, a short film directed by Tu Alid Alfonso as part of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Voice of Action series. Released ahead of the 6th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour, to be held from 11–13 February 2026 in Marrakech, Morocco, the film places Bangsamoro’s experience on the global stage.

Rather than focusing only on hardship, the film highlights solutions—how coordinated action across communities, government, and international partners is replacing dangerous work with education and sustainable livelihoods.

“These stories show how policy and community interventions can creatively unite to reclaim childhoods,” Alfonso says. “Bangsamoro is showing what’s possible.”

Livelihoods that keep children in school

Central to this shift is the ILO Japan Achieving Reduction of Child Labour in Support of Education (ARISE) Project, which addresses the root causes of child labour by supporting families’ economic stability.

In Barangay Looy, South Upi, Maguindanao del Sur, families now earn income through sustainable livelihoods such as mushroom farming, reducing their dependence on child labour. With basic needs met, children are free to return to school instead of work.

At the same time, the Alternative Learning System (ALS) is helping out-of-school youth and adults re-enter education. ALS learners can take Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) exams, enabling them to move into junior high, senior high, or formal schooling.

One ALS student shared: “I felt envious of my colleagues who were studying, even though they were already old. That’s why I decided to join them and enrolled in ALS.”

Measurable progress nationwide

The Philippines has made notable strides. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, child labour declined from 828,000 children in 2022 to 509,000 in 2024. Most remaining cases still involve hazardous work—particularly scavenging and farming—underscoring the urgency of targeted interventions in high-risk regions like Bangsamoro.

To strengthen protections, the Bangsamoro government enacted the Bangsamoro Labour and Employment Code (BLEC), which sets minimum employment ages, provides skills training, and delivers support to out-of-school children. Programmes such as Supporting Children’s Rights through Education, the Arts and the Media (SCREAM) further empower young people to recognise, challenge, and speak out against child labour.

Local leadership driving change

Local action has been critical. Cotabato City Councilor Shalimar Candao, who leads the Cotabato City Council Against Child Labour, prioritised one decisive step: “Relocating families living inside the dump site.”

Officials from the Bangsamoro Ministry of Labour and Employment echo that commitment. “Under the BLEC, we have provisions for youth apprenticeship,” one official says. “And for children at risk of child labour, we have targeted interventions.”

Safe housing, education access, and stable livelihoods are proving to be a powerful combination.

From survival to possibility

Where children once searched through waste, many now sit in classrooms, learn new skills, and imagine futures beyond survival. Bangsamoro’s experience shows that child labour is not inevitable—it is a policy choice, a development challenge, and a solvable problem.

As global leaders prepare to convene in Marrakech in February 2026, Bangsamoro’s story offers a model of what works: aligning community action, education, livelihoods, and law to put children first.

The momentum is growing—for a region where children are no longer defined by labour, but by learning, play, and dreams.