Trade for Decent Work Project in Mongolia - Phase 2

#EndChildLabour campaign organized in Darkhan city reaches more than 20,000 people online in a single day

The International Labour Organization, through the European Union funded “Trade for Decent Work” project, organized a public awareness campaign on the elimination of child labour during the “Europe Day–2026” event held in Darkhan city in collaboration with the Trade Union Federation of Darkhan-Uul Province.

23 May 2026

Darkhan-Uul (ILO News) — Under the global message #EndChildLabour, the campaign engaged the public through interactive awareness activities designed to encourage dialogue on children’s rights and decent work. Nearly 2,000 people were reached in person throughout the day, while social media activities generated engagement from more than 20,000 people online.

The awareness campaign was organized in Darkhan as part of broader efforts to increase public understanding of child labour and hazardous work affecting children in Mongolia in conjunction with Europe Day 2026.

A child participates in an interactive awareness activity on the elimination of child labour during Europe Day 2026 in Darkhan-Uul province.

Building on last year’s collaboration with social partners in Darkhan, the ILO’s EU-funded Trade for Decent Work (T4DW) project and the Trade Union Federation of Darkhan-Uul Province (Darkhan TU) previously co-organized a “Youth Rights at Work” training in October 2025, aimed at strengthening young workers’ awareness of labour rights, responsibilities, and the prevention of labour exploitation. This year, the partnership continued through the organization of the #EndChildLabour awareness campaign during the Europe Day event.

Darkhan-Uul Province remains an important outreach location due to the continued relevance of child labour risks linked to agriculture, services, and informal economic activities. According to Mongolia’s 2021–2022 Child Labour Survey, an estimated 138,525 children aged 5–17 are engaged in child labour, including more than 58,000 children involved in hazardous work. Children in rural areas remain disproportionately affected, while boys account for over 60 per cent of children engaged in child labour and hazardous work. Many children are exposed to dangerous conditions through livestock-related work, construction support activities, heavy lifting, mining-related work, and other informal labour.

The campaign featured public engagement activities encouraging participants to learn more about child labour, join the awareness campaign online, and help amplify messages calling for the elimination of child labour.

The “Trade for Decent Work” project is implemented by the ILO with funding from the European Union to improve the application of and reporting on the ILO Fundamental Conventions in Mongolia through improved labour relations and working conditions.