Throughout the world, 215 million children were victims of child labour in 2010. According to the 2011 Survey on Children, there were over 3 million child labourers, aged 5-17 years old in the Philippines. Child labour, as a serious offense, deprives children of the chance to play, to study and to live a life with dignity.

ILO member States, which includes the Philippines, have set the goal of ending the worst forms of child labour by 2016. In response, the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC), with the support of the ILO, initiated the Batang Malaya: Child labour free Philippines in 2012 to highlight the plight of child labourers.

Batang Malaya: Child labour free Philippines served as a venue to bring government agencies, employers’ and workers’ organizations, civil society, members of National Child Labor Committee and former child labourers to call for an end to worst forms of child labour. The Philippine government responded to the call by launching a Convergence Programme against child labour, officially called H.E.L.P. M.E. which stands for Health, Education, Livelihood, Prevention, Protection and Prosecution, and Monitoring and Evaluation.

This year, the ILO International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) and the National Child Labour Committee chaired by the Department of Labor and Employment. About 200 child labourers will join the football clinic on Tuesday, 17 September 2013 at the Emperador Stadium, McKinley Hill, Taguig City along with sponsors, volunteers and media partners. The teams formed during the football clinic will compete in a tournament to be held in October.

Many have supported the campaign and joined the call to give hope to millions of victims of child labour - ABS-CBN as exclusive media partner, Landbank of the Philippines, Consuelo Foundation, Wang Videography, Imagine Nation Photography, the Younghusband Football Academy, DOLE Philippines, Inc., SM Cares, SM Supermalls, Accel, Molten, Globe Telecom, Kettle Food Corporation, Megaworld, St. Luke’s Medical Center, United Football League, Gatorade, ILO Manila Staff Union, St. Scholastica’s College, DMCI Homes, University of the Philippines Alpha Sigma Fraternity, International School Manila, San Miguel Foundation, Amspec and the local government of Taguig.