Phenomenological study on the lived experiences of children under labor at Sooc Arevalo, Iloilo City /
by Ian Manuel B. Carvajal, Angela Faye P. Geduque, Heiven Roi V. Pedrajas, & Remogenes Y. Sobretodo.
- [Iloilo City] : [Ateneo de Iloilo], c2024.
- 139 p.
Child labor remains a persistent global issue, impacting millions of children worldwide, and among those, are children from the Philippines, and here in Iloilo. While numerous studies have indeed examined the socioeconomic factors and consequences of child labor, there is scarcity of research that delves into the nuanced lived experiences of children engaged in work. This qualitative study aims to address this gap by exploring the subjective realities, challenges, and coping mechanisms of children involved in various forms of labor. The study was conducted to explore the daily realities and challenges faced by these children at Barangay Sooc Arevalo, Iloilo City. This Phenomenological study that focused on the lived experiences of these minors used one (1) research instrument which is the semi-structured interviews, in order for the researchers to fully understand and immerse themselves in the adolescents' daily routines in general. The sample population consisted of 15 out of the 60 total child laborers from different communities in Barangay Sooc Arevalo. Majority of these children were 12-17 years old, and 14 of them were still attending school, and one was not. All of the respondents worked during the weekends, and some of them experienced anxiety, stress, and a lot of them had wounds from glass shards, were bullied in school, and had constant headaches due to the heat when working in construction, dump sights, and even in painting houses for a living. The findings of this research offer valuable insights for policymakers, NGOs, and stakeholders to develop evidence-based interventions aimed at eradicating child labor and fostering environments conducive to the children in Barangay Sooc Arevalo's holistic development.