International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC)
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© Cotton picker from Syrdarya province, October 2018.
Child labour and Forced labour
Major progress on forced labour and child labour in Uzbekistan cotton fields
International Labour Organization monitors say that forced labour during the cotton harvest in Uzbekistan has been significantly reduced. As in previous years child labour is no longer a concern.
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Workshop to discuss approaches to eliminate child and forced labour in the cotton industry
During the workshop, the Clear Cotton project will be launched. The project is co-funded by the European Union and implemented by the ILO in collaboration with FAO.
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© ILO Asia & the Pacific
UK Government to support ILO in fighting child labour in South Asia
New ILO UK-funded programme will concentrate on the worst forms of child labour in South Asia.
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© © CIFOR 2018
ILO, the Netherlands to take joint action against child labour
New partnership focuses on global supply chains in agriculture and mining.
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World Day Against Child Labour
Generation Safe & Healthy
This year, the World Day Against Child Labour (WDACL) and the World Day for Safety and Health at Work (SafeDay) shine a spotlight on the global need to improve the safety and health of young workers and end child labour.
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World Day Against Child Labour 2018
Generation Safe & Healthy!
This year, the World Day Against Child Labour (WDACL) and the World Day for Safety and Health at Work (SafeDay) are coming together in a joint campaign to improve the safety and health of young workers and end child labour.
Facts and figures
- Worldwide 218 million children between 5 and 17 years are in employment.
Among them, 152 million are victims of child labour; almost half of them, 73 million, work in hazardous child labour. - In absolute terms, almost half of child labour (72.1 million) is to be found in Africa; 62.1 million in the Asia and the Pacific; 10.7 million in the Americas; 1.2 million in the Arab States and 5.5 million in Europe and Central Asia.
- In terms of prevalence, 1 in 5 children in Africa (19.6%) are in child labour, whilst prevalence in other regions is between 3% and 7%: 2.9% in the Arab States (1 in 35 children); 4.1% in Europe and Central Asia (1 in 25); 5.3% in the Americas (1 in 19) and 7.4% in Asia and the Pacific region (1 in 14).
- Almost half of all 152 million children victims of child labour are aged 5-11 years.
42 million (28%) are 12-14 years old; and 37 million (24%) are 15-17 years old. - Hazardous child labour is most prevalent among the 15-17 years old. Nevertheless up to a fourth of all hazardous child labour (19 million) is done by children less than 12 years old.
- Among 152 million children in child labour, 88 million are boys and 64 million are girls.
- 58% of all children in child labour and 62% of all children in hazardous work are boys. Boys appear to face a greater risk of child labour than girls, but this may also be a reflection of an under-reporting of girls’ work, particularly in domestic child labour.
- Child labour is concentrated primarily in agriculture (71%), which includes fishing, forestry, livestock herding and aquaculture, and comprises both subsistence and commercial farming; 17% in Services; and 12% in the Industrial sector, including mining.
News
Events
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World Day Against Child Labour 2019 - Children shouldn’t work in fields, but on dreams
12 June 2019
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World Day Against Child Labour 2019 - Children shouldn’t work in fields, but on dreams
20 February - 31 December 2019
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ASGM Technical Working Group Consultation and Planning Workshop
12 - 14 February 2019
Just released
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Publication
The psychological health of children working in brick kilns: A Classification Tree Analysis
20 February 2019
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Publication
World Day Against Child Labour 2019 Brochure
20 February 2019
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Instructional material
Training manual on child labour in Afghanistan
01 February 2019