ILO, UNICEF report says 138 million engage in child labor worldwide
UN organizations say that an estimated 138 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 were engaged in child labor worldwide in 2024.
The International Labor Organization and UNICEF revealed the finding on Wednesday in a report titled "Child Labour: Global estimates 2024, trends and the road forward."
One of the targets in the UN Sustainable Development Goals calls for an end to child labor by 2025. But the large numbers engaged in the practice indicate that this will be difficult.
By industry, the most children worked in agriculture, at 61 percent.
By region, nearly 87 million children, or about two thirds of the total, were working in Sub-Saharan Africa. The number for the Asia-Pacific region stood at about 28 million.
The report said the number of child workers is in decline thanks to recent initiatives to protect them. The number has almost halved since 2000. But the UN organizations called on governments to continue their efforts to address the problem.
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ILO, UNICEF report says 138 million engage in child labor worldwide
UN organizations say that an estimated 138 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 were engaged in child labor worldwide in 2024. The International Labor Organization and UNICEF revealed the finding on Wednesday in a report titled "Child Labour: Global estimates 2024, trends and the road forward." One of the targets in the UN Sustainable Development Goals calls for an end to child labor by 2025. But the large numbers engaged in the practice indicate that this will be difficult. By industry, the most children worked in agriculture, at 61 percent. By region, nearly 87 million children, or about two thirds of the total, were working in Sub-Saharan Africa. The number for the Asia-Pacific region stood at about 28 million. The report said the number of child workers is in decline thanks to recent initiatives to protect them. The number has almost halved since 2000. But the UN organizations called on governments to continue their efforts to address the problem.
