Nearly 138 million children were engaged in child labour in 2024, including 54 million in hazardous work that endangers their health, safety and development.
This is according to a report released on Wednesday by the International Labour Organisation and the United Nations Children’s Fund, ahead of World Day Against Child Labour, as the world mark the International Day of Play.
The World Day Against Child Labour is marked every year on June 12, and the International Day of Play is marked on June 11th.
The report revealed that while child labour has declined by more than 20 million since 2020, the world has missed its target of ending child labour by 2025.
It noted that since 2000, child labour has almost halved, yet current rates remain too slow. But to end child labour within the next five years, it said the current rates of progress would need to be 11 times faster.
The report stated, “While the elimination of child labour remains an unfinished task, there is some welcome news. After a concerning rise in child labour captured by the global estimates for 2020, a feared further deterioration in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has not materialised, and the world has succeeded in returning to a path of progress.
Today, nearly 138 million children are in child labour worldwide, down from 160 million four years ago. There are over 100 million fewer children in child labour today than in 2000, even as the child population increased by 230 million over the same period.
This success can be attributed to some well-known policy imperatives that, if sustained and scaled up, could bring about an end to child labour.”
It highlighted that the policies include ensuring free and high-quality schooling to provide a worthwhile alternative to child labour and help ensure successful transitions from school to decent work; equipping education systems to support the school-to-work transition, particularly for older adolescents who face heightened occupational safety and health risks in the labour market; strengthening legal protections against child labour, aligned with international standards to lay the groundwork for effective prevention and enforcement, among others.
The report also said targeted policies to end child labour must go hand in hand with broader development strategies.
“And to be fully effective, child labour concerns must be systematically mainstreamed into economic and social policy planning – from macroeconomic frameworks to labour market reforms and sectoral strategies.
“The latest estimates underscore the magnitude of the challenge of ending child labour. They also point to progress, and in doing so, affirm the possibilities. We have the blueprint for success – the right policies, adequate resources and unwavering commitment. Now is the time to act to free future generations from child labour,” it added.
