World Day Against Child Labor 2025

On this June 12, 2025, the World Day Against Child Labor, we are reminded that still too many children around the world are deprived of their right to a protected childhood.

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), nearly 160 million children are forced to work, often in extreme conditions.

This dramatic figure highlights the urgent need to combat this exploitation and guarantee every child a future in which they can grow, learn and dream, far from the constraints of work.

Worldwide, child labor is not declining! Here are the key figures on this disturbing reality, taken from the joint report “Global Estimates 2020: Trends and the Road Forward”, produced in 2021 by the ILO and Unicef:

• Almost 90% of the world’sexploited children are in Africa, with 72 million children, and in Asia-Pacific, where 62 million children are involved,
• 70% of child workers are employed in agriculture (cultivation, livestock, fishing, forestry),
• 20% work in services, including domestic help, retail or prostitution (including online),
• 10% are active in industry, particularly mining and illegal logging,
• More than two-thirds of working children are employed by their own families, often without pay,
• Around 80 million children are forced to perform hazardous tasks, exposing their health and safety to serious risks,
• 84 million children (56% of the world total) live in middle-income countries, where social protection is inadequate,
• Only 26.4% of the world’s children receive cash benefits such as family allowances or income support. In sub-Saharan Africa, conflict, crisis and poverty have led to a 17 million increase in the number of child workers over the past four years.

Source: ILO and UNICEF, Global Estimates 2020: Trends and the Road Forward.

Through its actions on behalf of children, La Chaîne de l’Espoir is working to combat child labor. A prevention program has been set up in Asia, to help combat school drop-out and the exploitation of young girls.

In partnership with Child Protection Centers and Services (CPCS) in Nepal, we distribute menstrual kits and organize awareness campaigns so that girls can stay in school during their periods. These initiatives are essential to reduce school absenteeism, often caused by shame or untreated menstrual pain.

In India, with the support of our local partner Taabar, mobile clinics have been set up to educate teenage girls about menstrual hygiene and remove associated taboos.

“Before, my mother and I used cloth during our periods. But since the clinic came to visit us, we’ve been using sanitary towels. I feel good about my body now. I’ve cured my irritations, thanks to the medication I’ve been prescribed,” says 15-year-old Tina.