By Darasimi Kikelomo
Despite considerable advances in reducing child labour over the past two decades, nearly 138 million children around the world remain trapped in exploitative labour, according to a joint report released today by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF.
The report, titled Child Labour: Global estimates 2024, trends and the road forward, reveals a significant reduction of almost 50 per cent since the start of the century. However, it notes the international community has failed to meet the target of completely eliminating child labour by 2025.
Nearly 54 million children continue to engage in hazardous work, endangering their health, safety, and development.
“The findings of our report offer hope and show that progress is possible,” said Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of the ILO. “Children belong in school, not in work. Parents must themselves be supported and have access to decent work so that they can afford to ensure that their children are in classrooms and not selling things in markets or working in family farms. But we must not be blindsided; we still have a long way to go before we achieve our goal of eliminating child labour.”
Agriculture remains the leading sector where child labour is most prevalent, accounting for 61 per cent of cases globally, followed by services, such as domestic work and market vending, at 27 per cent, and industry, including mining and manufacturing, at 13 per cent.
Regional data highlighted that Asia and the Pacific witnessed the largest decrease in child labour, dropping from 49 million to 28 million children between 2020 and 2024. Latin America and the Caribbean also saw an 11 per cent decrease in the total number of child labourers.
However, Sub-Saharan Africa continues to struggle with the highest rates, home to nearly two-thirds of the world’s child labourers—about 87 million children. Although the prevalence rate has slightly decreased from 23.9 per cent to 21.5 per cent, the total number remains relatively unchanged due to population growth.
“The world has made significant progress in reducing the number of children forced into labour,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director. “Yet far too many children continue to toil in mines, factories, or fields, often doing hazardous work to survive. We know progress towards ending child labour is possible through legal safeguards, expanded social protection, investment in free, quality education, and better access to decent work for adults.”
The report underscores that maintaining and accelerating progress requires sustained and increased global and domestic funding. Agencies warn that cutbacks in education, social protection, and livelihoods could jeopardize recent gains and push more vulnerable families into child labour.
Additionally, the report highlights gender disparities, noting boys are more likely to be involved in labour overall, but girls bear a disproportionate burden when factoring in extensive unpaid household chores.
To expedite progress toward eliminating child labour, UNICEF and ILO urge governments globally to:
- Invest in robust social protection systems.
- Strengthen child protection mechanisms.
- Provide universal, quality education.
- Ensure access to decent work opportunities for adults.
- Enforce laws and enhance business accountability to protect children.
Child labour significantly compromises children’s education, limiting their rights, future opportunities, and putting them at physical and mental risk. Ending child labour by 2030 would require global efforts to accelerate progress at a rate 11 times faster than currently achieved.
