Child Labour in the Americas: Regional Technical Brief

This technical brief on child labour in the Americas is the result of an extensive regional consultation process carried out throughout 2025, led by the Regional Initiative Latin America and the Caribbean Free of Child Labour and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The process combined national dialogues with the 31 member countries, bilateral technical meetings, inputs from employers’ and workers’ organizations, as well as specialized sectoral contributions. These consultations made it possible to gather perceptions, priorities, and challenges from different levels —political, technical, and territorial— ensuring that the analysis reflects not only the available quantitative evidence but also the diversity of experiences, institutional frameworks, and socio-economic contexts across the region.

The process reaffirmed the centrality of tripartite social dialogue, complemented by the engagement of civil society organizations and United Nations agencies, enabling the construction of a consensual agenda aimed at strengthening policies for the prevention and eradication of child labour in the Americas.

Based on this process of dialogue and evidence, this brief presents the current panorama of child labour in the region, highlighting both the progress achieved and the persistent challenges that require urgent attention.