July 12, 2024

Washington, D.C. -

The Global Campaign for Education U.S. commemorates  World Day Against Child Labor, an initiative spearheaded by the International Labour Organization (ILO) that takes place each year on June 12. Child labor is an ongoing issue in the United States as well as around the world. While rates of child labor have been declining, the COVID-19 pandemic caused child labor violations to explode globally. 

The ILO defines child labor as “work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children and/or interferes with their schooling.” Often, children are forced into child labor through trafficking and kidnapping. A UNICEF press release highlighted that the closing of schools due to the pandemic coupled with limited work opportunities resulted in millions more children falling victim to child labor in recent years. According to World Vision, 160 million children are in child labor worldwide, and the United States Department of Labor estimates that over a million children in the US are in child labor. 

Child labor is a massive barrier to education for children. According to the European Commission, child labor increases school dropout rates. Children may be exposed to harmful substances, dangerous work, long hours, and lots of stress. These factors impact a child’s availability to learn and show up to school. Many children are forced into child labor due to extreme poverty. Families are forced to make a choice between long term education prospects and increased earning potential and immediate financial support for themselves or their families. Child labor perpetuates poverty, as limited access to education leads to limited access to jobs. 

Conflict and crisis increase rates of child labor. According to Human Rights Watch, wars and natural disasters result in more children going into child labor because “parents lose their jobs and schools may be destroyed.” Child labor is an ongoing issue that will not be overcome without a global effort.

Take Action and Learn More:

• The International Labor Organization hosted a panel on June 12 to "discuss advances and challenges in relation to the elimination of child labour.” Please download segments of the panel here.
• On July 30th, Winrock International is hosting a webinar titled “Approaches to Countering Child Trafficking Globally” with speakers from Polaris, International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC), and Sana Sezim NGO from Kazakhstan. Please register and learn more here.
• The Campaign to End US Child Labor brings together nonprofits, trade unions, and associations all working to combat child labor policy rollbacks in the US. To learn more, please visit their website here.