In a world increasingly driven by promises of progress and equality, a sobering reality remains: 138 million children are still trapped in child labour. According to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF, the international community is on course to miss its commitment to eliminate child labour by 2025, a goal set under the UN’s Sustainable Development Agenda.

While child labour has declined by nearly half since 2000, from 246 million to 138 million children, the pace of progress is now dangerously slow. The global response is failing millions of vulnerable children whose dreams and futures are being eroded by early labour, poverty, and systemic neglect.

Children engaged in labour are often hidden from the public eye, toiling in farms, homes, and informal sectors. According to the ILO-UNICEF report, 61% of child labourers work in agriculture, performing tasks that range from harvesting crops to tending livestock, often under harsh and hazardous conditions. Another 27% work in services like domestic work or street vending, while the remaining 13% are involved in industry, including mining and construction.

Even more troubling is that 54 million of these children are engaged in work that directly endangers their physical, mental, or emotional well-being.

One of the most glaring aspects of the report is the regional imbalance in progress. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for a staggering 63% of all child labourers, approximately 87 million children. Although there has been a slight decline in prevalence from 24% to 22%, the region’s high birth rate and economic fragility have kept the overall numbers high.

In contrast, Asia and the Pacific have seen a significant reduction, cutting child labour rates from 6% to 3% since 2020. Latin America and the Caribbean also reported marginal improvements.

The diverging regional trends underscore a need for tailored strategies that address local economic, social, and cultural dynamics.

A major concern raised by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell is the significant reduction in funding for education, social protection, and family support systems. These are the very pillars that help prevent child labour from taking root.

“Inadequate investment in families means more children entering the workforce to support their households,” Russell warned. “Unless governments and donors act decisively, we risk reversing decades of hard-won progress.”

The report also calls attention to the lack of political will in addressing systemic labour exploitation. While nations have pledged action on paper, enforcement mechanisms remain weak or underfunded. In many countries, legal protections are either poorly implemented or don’t exist at all.

Human Rights Watch and other global watchdogs have also sounded the alarm, urging countries, especially high-income economies and international donors, to condition trade agreements and development partnerships on strong human rights and child protection benchmarks.

To change the trajectory, the ILO and UNICEF urge a multifaceted approach:

• Invest in universal education: Quality, free schooling is the most effective tool for lifting children out of labour and into opportunity.

• Strengthen legal protections: Governments must enforce existing labour laws and create stronger safeguards for children.

• Support family livelihoods: Adult employment and social safety nets reduce the financial pressure on families to send children to work.

• Improve data and transparency: Better tracking can help policymakers design more effective interventions.

With less than a year until the 2025 deadline, the world faces a moral reckoning. Progress is not just measured in statistics but in the hopes and dreams of children who deserve a childhood free from exploitation. If the current trend continues, we risk leaving millions behind, undermining not just global development goals but the very ideals of justice and dignity.

As this report makes clear, eradicating child labour is not a question of possibility, it is a question of priority.