Unlike many school children in various parts of the country, most children in Negros Occidental are not getting ready for the coming school opening next week.

For instead of going to school, a large number of the young population in Negros Occidential would be doing their usual chores in sugar plantation.

Albertito Morados, program coordinator of the non-government organization Quidan-Kaisahan (QK) in Negros Occidental reported that nearly half of the children in the province are working.

“A high 36 percent of children in Negros are working, in fact, 8,600 children are joining the labor force every year,” Morados said.

He said that majority of the children are working in sugar plantations and exposed to health risk and other job-related accidents.

Laura Vicuna Foundation Inc. executive director Sr. Maria Josefina Carrasco said children as young as five years old are already working in sugar plantations in Negros.

“You can see in the sugar plantation five-year-old children throwing the sugarcane to the sky and cutting it before falling on the ground using bolo and other sharp tools,” Carrasco said.