Real Madrid football club teams up with ILO to fight child labour

18 December 2002

The Real Madrid football club and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are teaming up to raise a “Red card” to the child labour in its worst forms – a practice that traps one of every eight children – or some 180 million worldwide – in exploitative, often dangerous work.

About the campaign
The Red Card to Child Labour campaign was launched on 18th January 2002 in Bamako, Mali, at a ceremony chaired by Mali’s Prime Minister and Minister of Integration. During the ceremony, ILO and the African Confederation of Football (CAF) signed a Cooperation agreement. The new campaign against the use of child labour is symbolized by the red card handed out by referees for serious violations of rules on the soccer field. "Child labour is neither a sport nor a pastime," said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. "Child labourers work hard - on the farms, in mines and quarries, or as domestic servants. Some are trafficked into slave-like conditions or prostitution. Millions are condemned to lifelong poverty and despair. Now, working hand in hand with the world's most popular sport, we hope to galvanize the global campaign against child labour with this potent symbol - the red card that means you're out of the game." The initiative aims to seize on the popularity of the African Cup of Nations 2002 to generate the widest possible public awareness of the harsh reality of child labour and encourage people to support the global movement against it. The campaign adds a new, symbolic element to the global struggle against child labour, exemplified by the rapid ratification by over 100 countries of ILO's most recent labour standard, the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention No. 182 adopted in 1999. Following the launch of the "Red Card" campaign in Africa, the ILO plans to pursue the initiative to Latin America, Asia and Europe. The ILO International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), which is running the campaign, is active in 75 countries, removing children from abusive child labour, providing them with rehabilitation and education and providing their families with income-generating possibilities. The next important phases of the campaign will be the FIFA World Youth Championship (U-20) in the United Arab Emirates (March/April 2003), the FIFA Women’s World Cup in China (September/October 2003), the 2004 Copa America in Peru and the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

Facts and figures about child labour
According to the ILO, about 246 million children worldwide are involved in child labour. This represents six times the population of Spain or one out of every six children in the world. Here are some key facts and figures on child labour: Nearly three quarters of child labourers, about 180 million children, are exposed to the worst forms of child labour that is, work that is hazardous for children or for which they are too young. That equals one out of every eight children around the world. An estimated 8.4 million children are trapped in the most abhorrent forms of child labour such as slavery, trafficking, debt bondage, prostitution, pornography and other illicit activities. These forms are by their nature totally unacceptable for children under any circumstances and should be outlawed immediately. Most children work on farms and plantations. Some 70 per cent are in agriculture, commercial hunting and fishing or forestry. Most of the remaining 30 per cent are in manufacturing, wholesale and retail trades, tourism, and domestic work. Working children are divided almost equally between boys and girls, with boys making up a slight majority. Among children engaged in hazardous work, boys hold a majority of 55 per cent. The largest number – 127 million – of working children age 14 and under are in the Asia-Pacific region. 73 million working children worldwide are under 10 years of age. The highest proportion of working children is in Sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly one third of children age 14 and under (48 million children) are in the labour force. Child labour continues to be a global phenomenon – no country or region is immune. There are 2.5 million working children in the developed economies, where about two per cent of children age 14 and under are in the labour force. Another 2.5 million work in the transition economies like the former Soviet states, where about four per cent of the children are working.

Facts and figures about child labour

According to the ILO, about 246 million children worldwide are involved in child labour. This represents six times the population of Spain or one out of every six children in the world. Here are some key facts and figures on child labour:
Nearly three quarters of child labourers, about 180 million children, are exposed to the worst forms of child labour that is, work that is hazardous for children or for which they are too young. That equals one out of every eight children around the world.
An estimated 8.4 million children are trapped in the most abhorrent forms of child labour such as slavery, trafficking, debt bondage, prostitution, pornography and other illicit activities. These forms are by their nature totally unacceptable for children under any circumstances and should be outlawed immediately.
Most children work on farms and plantations. Some 70 per cent are in agriculture, commercial hunting and fishing or forestry. Most of the remaining 30 per cent are in manufacturing, wholesale and retail trades, tourism, and domestic work.
Working children are divided almost equally between boys and girls, with boys making up a slight majority. Among children engaged in hazardous work, boys hold a majority of 55 per cent.
The largest number – 127 million – of working children age 14 and under are in the Asia-Pacific region.
73 million working children worldwide are under 10 years of age.
The highest proportion of working children is in Sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly one third of children age 14 and under (48 million children) are in the labour force.
Child labour continues to be a global phenomenon – no country or region is immune. There are 2.5 million working children in the developed economies, where about two per cent of children age 14 and under are in the labour force. Another 2.5 million work in the transition economies like the former Soviet states, where about four per cent of the children are working.