World Day Against Child Labour 2025: We Promised to End It by Now—But 138 Million Children Are Still Working
Today, June 12, marks the World Day Against Child Labour—a day that should be a milestone in global progress. In 2015, the world committed to end child labour by 2025 through Target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). That timeline has now come to an end. But the scourge of child labour has not.
According to a new joint report released today by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF, an estimated 138 million children around the world are still in child labour. This marks a decrease from 160 million in 2020—22 million fewer children trapped in exploitative work. But let’s be clear: 138 million is still 138 million too many.
Child Labour: The Harsh Reality
Child labour is not about children helping with household chores. It’s about back-breaking, dangerous work that robs children of their education, health, and future. Of the 138 million children in child labour today, approximately 54 million are in hazardous forms of labour, which is modern slavery.
In West Africa, for example, children toil on cocoa farms—spraying hazardous chemicals without protection or training, hauling sacks far too heavy for their developing bodies, and often lying about their age just to get work. For many families, it’s a simple matter of survival: if the children don’t work, they don’t eat.
Why Child Labour Must Be Stopped
Child labour isn’t just unjust—it causes irreparable harm. Children only have one window to receive foundational education—typically between ages 5 to 12. If they miss that window, the damage is often permanent. Yes, adult education and night schools exist, but the mental, emotional, and physical development that occurs during childhood can never be reclaimed. Research shows that missing school at this age sets children on a lifelong trajectory of poverty and vulnerability.
And the statistics are clear: children who are forced to work are far less likely to attend school. The link between child labour and missed education is undeniable.
What’s Driving Child Labour?
The drivers of child labour are complex and deeply systemic:
Poverty and lack of decent work for adults forces families to rely on their children’s labour.
Weak social protection systems mean families have no safety net in times of crisis.
Insufficient access to quality education leaves parents with no viable alternative.
In some cases, exploitative supply chains keep the cycle going, especially in agriculture, mining, and manufacturing.
What Are the Solutions?
Although progress has been painfully slow, 2024 Global Estimates of Child Labour Report shows that change is possible—but only if we address the root causes:
Governments must implement and fund policies that gives access to quality, free education and decent work for adults
Communities need to be supported with economic opportunities and awareness about children’s rights.
Companies must take responsibility for their supply chains, ensuring that child labour is neither used nor hidden behind layers of contractors and middlemen.
International collaboration is key—ending child labour cannot be done in isolation.
What Can You Do?
We all have a role to play. Here’s how you can be part of the solution:
Share this blog with friends and colleagues to raise awareness.
Sign the petition to Mondelez, makers of Cadbury, Toblerone, and Oreo, calling on them to increase transparency in their cocoa supply chain. Despite promises, forced labour and the worst forms of child labour continue to plague the cocoa industry—especially in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, which produce 60% of the world’s cocoa.
Donate to Be Slavery Free to support our work in advocating for stronger laws, building awareness and education, pushing for corporate accountability, and building a world where no child is forced to work.
A Final Word
The 2025 deadline has passed, but our responsibility hasn’t. We must not become complacent because the numbers have gone down slightly. One child in labour is one too many. Together, we can change this—but only if we keep it in the public eye, pushing for better legislation and educating consumers who purchase products which may have been produced by child labour.
Let’s remember why the World Day Against Child Labou exists. It’s a call for all of us to stand– not just in words, but in action – against the exploitation of children. There’s 138 million reasons to act. Let's not look away.
📣 Share This Blog
Because every child deserves a childhood.