Advocacy campaign
Red card to child labour
Despite the significant progress achieved since 2000, which has led to an almost halving of child labour, the challenge remains immense. According to the ILO and UNICEF Global Estimates of Child Labour 2024, 138 million children are still in child labour worldwide, of whom nearly 54 million are in hazardous work.
The Red card to child labour campaign mobilizes people around the world to fight against child labour and call for concrete action. It brings together governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, civil society, the private sector, the media and young people around one shared goal: to end child labour.
The campaign’s red card has become the unifying emblem for this global initiative. It is used across all sectors of activity and in all countries to demonstrate a shared commitment and strengthen the call for effective measures, social protection and quality education.
The 2026 edition of the Red card to child labour campaign was launched on 2 February 2026, ahead of the 6th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour, held in Marrakech from 11 to 13 February. At that conference, governments, employers, workers and civil society reached broad consensus: eliminating child labour must remain a global priority in the development agenda, not just through 2030, but beyond. The red card was reaffirmed as a unifying symbol of the global commitment to end child labour and to translate commitments into concrete action.
The campaign is now entering a second phase, linked to key moments in June and July 2026: the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, World Day Against Child Labour on 12 June, and the 2026 global football tournament.
This phase calls for stronger action on the policies that prevent and eliminate child labour: quality education, universal social protection, decent work and adequate livelihoods for adults, stronger laws and enforcement, and better data and monitoring systems.
Together, these moments create an opportunity to keep child labour on the global agenda and to continue raising awareness across governments, employers, workers and fans.
Join the campaign. Raise the Red card to child labour!
Join the red card campaign in 3 simple steps
1. Print the card
If you cannot print the card, you can just use a red paper.
2. Take a photo
Selfie, ussie, youssie, as you wish, just take a photo holding the printed red card.
3. Share and tag
Post your photo on social media with the hashtag #EndChildLabour and tag three friends to invite them to join the campaign.
Artists give a Red card to child labour
Cher, Tim Roth, Pharrell Williams, Mike Einziger and many others have already joined the campaign and raised a Red Card. Discover who else has taken part — and join too.