International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC)
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International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC)

© 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
    Cooperatives’ considerable clout in the fight against child labour

    14 July 2014

  2. © ILO Photo/K. Cassidy 2014
    ILO and UNESCO reconfirm commitment to joint work in new agreement

    08 July 2014

  3. © Tiffany Bordenave 2014
    Hitting the right note for the Red Card to Child Labour Campaign

    27 June 2014

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Events

  1. Syrian and Lebanese children from refugee host communities mark World Day Against Child Labour with theatrical performance

    12 June 2014, Beirut - Lebanon

  2. IPEC International Steering Committee Meeting

    10 June 2014, Tuesday, 10 June, 13:00-15:00, Room XVII, Palais des Nations

  3. 1,000 musicians perform for World Day Against Child Labour

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

  4. Jordan releases two studies on child labour in the urban informal and agricultural sectors

    9 June 2014, ِAmman, Jordan

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Just released

  1. Tackling child labour and protecting young workers in domestic work - A resource manual

    04 July 2014

    Global March and ILO-IPEC launch a Resource Manual on child domestic work

  2. Football resource kit – Using football in child labour elimination and prevention projects

    13 June 2014

    The Resource Kit was developed in collaboration with FIFA and it seeks to underline how football can be used as a recreational activity in child labour elimination and prevention projects.

  3. Compendium of good practices on addressing child labour in agriculture

    29 May 2014

    The good practices have been collected from on-going, or recently closed, worldwide ILO-IPEC projects in Brazil, Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Philippines, Tanzania and Thailand.

List all »

Highlights

  1. Conference

    III Global Conference on Child Labour - Brasilia, 8-10 October 2013

    The ILO will participate in the III Global Conference on Child Labour which will bring together representatives from government, social partners, civil society, regional and international organizations to share policies and experiences in the global fight against child labour.

    The Conference – organized by the Brazilian Government – will be an opportunity to reflect on the progress made since the previous global conference was held in The Hague in 2010, and to discuss ways to accelerate global efforts against child labour – especially its worst forms.

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