UN calls for urgent action as world misses 2025 goal to end child labour

At least 160mn children remain in child labour globally. The UN says stronger laws, education access, and decent work for parents are needed to reverse the trend.

The United Nations (UN) has warned that the world will not meet its goal of ending child labour by 2025. At the Childhood with Dignity meeting held in New York, UN stressed that while progress has been made, significant challenges remain.

Since 2000, the number of children in child labour has fallen by 86mn. However, current estimates show that 160mn children, 63mn girls and 97mn boys were still engaged in child labour at the start of 2020. Of these, 79mn were involved in hazardous work that threatens their health, safety, and moral development.

Philemon Yang, UN General Assembly President highlighted the urgency of the issue. He reminded participants that Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 calls for the eradication of child labour in all its forms by 2025. He urged the international community to act with renewed determination to ensure every child can live with dignity and opportunity. Yang emphasised that tackling the root causes of child labour requires stronger enforcement of fair wage and child protection laws, as well as increased investment in children particularly those living in remote areas where child labour is more prevalent.

Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of ILO, reinforced this view. He described the abolition of child labour as a fundamental right at work and a cornerstone of decent work principles. Houngbo warned that growing inequality, conflict, and uncertainty threaten progress. Without urgent action, millions of children will continue to be denied their rights, highlighting efforts to build inclusive and prosperous societies.

The discussion focused heavily on two key ILO conventions:

1. Minimum Age Convention (1973): Sets the minimum age for employment to protect children from child labour.
2. Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999): Addresses the elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including slavery, forced labour, trafficking, and recruitment of children in armed conflict. This convention has been ratified by every UN member state.

Despite these strong legal frameworks, significant gaps in implementation persist. These gaps have prevented the world from meeting the 2025 child labour elimination target.

Participants agreed that comprehensive approaches are needed to close these gaps.

This includes improving data collection and measurement to better understand the impact of child labour. It also involves integrating child labour concerns into national education, social protection, and wider employment. Providing decent work for parents is essential, as poverty remains a key driver of child labour.

Universal access to free, quality basic education and early childhood development programmes must be prioritised. Efforts should also focus on eliminating child labour within supply chains and preventing the recruitment and use of children in armed conflicts, one of the worst forms of child labour.

To strengthen global efforts, partnerships and collective action will be critical. Raising awareness, sharing innovative practices, monitoring progress, and mobilising resources can help accelerate progress in ending child labour and forced labour worldwide.

The ILO and UNICEF are due to publish the 2025 Global Estimates of Child Labour report on 11 June.

Lead image / International Labour Organisation