Child Labour
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Child Labour

© ILO/Joseph Fortin 2014
Fair economy
Cooperatives’ considerable clout in the fight against child labour
The coop economy, worth around US$2.5 trillion, plays its part in helping to eliminate child labour – a problem that, although in decline, still affects 168 million children worldwide.
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Training material
Using football against child labour
How football can be used as a recreational activity in child labour elimination and prevention projects and to promote the participation of girls in football.
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Slideshow
Syrian refugee children at work… and in a play
Abject poverty is forcing many Syrian refugee families to send their children to work. In Lebanon, host to over a million refugees from Syria, current and former child labourers held a musical and theatrical performance to mark World Day against Child Labour.
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Campaign
Red Card around the world
People from every region in the world have been inspired to support the Red Card Campaign. See the highlights.
  1. Join the Red Card to Child Labour Campaign, download the song 'Til everyone can see by Mike Einziger with Pharrell Williams
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World Day Against Child Labour 2014
Extend social protection: combat child labour!
This year, World Day Against Child Labour draws attention to the role of social protection in keeping children out of child labour and removing them from it.
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World Day Against Child Labour- 12 June
Social protection essential to help eradicate child labour
The ILO calls on governments to step up their efforts to extend social protection in order to help keep children out of child labour.
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Facts and figures

  • Global number of children in child labour has declined by one third since 2000, from 246 million to 168 million children. More than half of them, 85 million, are in hazardous work (down from 171 million in 2000).
  • Asia and the Pacific still has the largest numbers (almost 78 million or 9.3% of child population), but Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the region with the highest incidence of child labour (59 million, over 21%).
  • There are 13 million (8.8%) of children in child labour in Latin America and the Caribbean and in the Middle East and North Africa there are 9.2 million (8.4%).
  • Agriculture remains by far the most important sector where child labourers can be found (98 million, or 59%), but the problems are not negligible in services (54 million) and industry (12 million) – mostly in the informal economy.
  • Child labour among girls fell by 40% since 2000, compared to 25% for boys.
Source: Marking progress against child labour - Global estimates and trends 2000-2012 (ILO-IPEC, 2013).

News

  1. © ILO/Joseph Fortin 2014

    Fair economy

    Cooperatives’ considerable clout in the fight against child labour

    14 July 2014

  2. © ILO Photo/K. Cassidy 2014

    Multilateral cooperation

    ILO and UNESCO reconfirm commitment to joint work in new agreement

    08 July 2014

Key resources

  1. Global estimates and trends 2000-2012

    Marking progress against child labour

    This is the fourth issue of the ILO’s report series: Global Estimates on Child Labour. The present Report provides new global and regional estimates on child labour for the year 2012 and compares them with the previous estimates for 2000, 2004 and 2008.

  1. Publications and resources on child labour

ILO videos on child labour

Campaigns

  1. Join the campaign

    12 June 2014 - 1 September 2016

  2. "Music against Child Labour" Initiative

    8 October 2013 - 31 December 2014

Events

  1. 1,000 musicians perform for World Day Against Child Labour

    9 June - 31 July 2014, Worldwide, May to July 2014

ILO Programmes against child labour

  1. 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.

  1. Bureau for Workers' activities (ACTRAV)
  2. Bureau for Employers activities (ACTEMP)

Good practices in combating child labour

  1. in Africa
  2. in Latin America
  3. in Asia
  4. in Europe
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