Child Labour

Number of children without critical social protection increasing globally – ILO and UNICEF

Multiple crises set to plunge more children into poverty creating an urgent need to scale-up social protection, new report warns.
Our impact, their voices

The mica dust made me sick, I’m glad to be back at school

When Suman Kumari was 13 her father became ill and the family fell into debt. When COVID-19 hit and with creditors at the door, she joined her mother at her workplace processing mica, a mineral dust used in cosmetics, paints and electronics. An ILO project has helped her return to school.
Impact stories

From child labour and forced labour to dreams of a better future

Today, more than 160 million children are in child labour and 28 million people are in forced labour. What do they need? How do they feel? And who is helping them?
Global Estimates of Child Labour

Understanding child labour statistics

While the percentage of children in child labour has remained unchanged over the four year period, the absolute number has increased by over 8 million.
© Adam Lai
Global Child Labour Conference agrees Durban Call to Action to end child labour

The ‘Durban Call to Action’ includes strong commitments on action against child labour while raising concerns that existing progress has slowed and is now threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic, armed conflict, as well as food, environmental and humanitarian crises.
- 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour

ACCEL Africa Regional Conference: Knowledge Sharing for Partnerships on the Elimination of Child Labour in Supply Chains

22 - 24 February 2023
Press conference on child labour presents results of study

20 December 2022

The National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia (NHRCM) holds a press conference to bring attention to the issue of child labour in Mongolia and shares the findings of a recently published qualitative study on the issue.
Advancing Decent Work to end Child Labour in SupplyChains

1 - 2 December 2022

The meeting will bring together businesses across sectors, as well as representatives of governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations and international organizations. The programme will focus on business responses to tacking the systemic root cause of child labour from adequate wages and income, equal opportunities for women and youth employment.

Instructional material

Model questionnaire for child labour modular surveys

07 March 2023
Employment Working Group

Promoting labour rights and reducing decent work deficits in the BRICS - Presentation

02 March 2023

This presentation held at the 1st meeting of the Employment Working Group provides an overview of the fundamental principles and rights in BRICS countries, some insights into measures taken to realise FPRWs in these countries and some overarching policy considerations.

eLearning tools on child labour

The eLearning tools are designed to help to better understand what child labour is and the key role ILO stakeholders can play.

In the world, 160 miliion children are in child labour accounting for almost 1 in 10 of all children worldwide.
Read the full report.

ILO Flagship programme

International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour and Forced Labour (IPEC+)

In line with Sustainable Development Target 8.7, IPEC+ focuses on the elimination of child labour in all its forms by 2025 and the eradication of forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking by 2030.
International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC)

Created in 1992, IPEC has grown to become the biggest dedicated child labour programme in the world and the largest technical cooperation programme within the ILO. It is now operational in some 90 countries, benefiting millions of children worldwide.

ILO