138 Million Children Still Trapped in Child Labor as 2025 Target Missed

By Tola Fasika Negash & Faith Barbara N Ruhinda Updated at 1624 EAT on Saturday 14 June 2025

The world has fallen short of meeting the 2025 target to end child labor, with approximately 138 million children still trapped in labor worldwide. Of these, 54 million are in hazardous conditions that put their health, safety, and development at risk.

This failure highlights the need for increased efforts to protect children’s rights and ensure their access to education and safe environments.

A joint report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF has released alarming statistics on child labor, highlighting that the global target to eliminate child labor by 2025 is unlikely to be met. With 138 million children still engaged in labor, the report serves as a wake-up call ahead of the World Day Against Child Labour on June 12.

The theme for World Day Against Child Labour 2025, “Progress is clear, but there’s more to do: let’s speed up efforts,” emphasizes the need for accelerated action. Despite the progress made since 2020, with 22 million fewer children in labor, the global community still faces significant challenges.

As ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo noted, “Children belong in school, not in work.” Supporting parents with decent work opportunities is crucial to ensuring children can access education and a better future.

The ILO Director-General’s words highlight the need to support parents with decent work opportunities, enabling them to prioritize their children’s education over economic survival.

Addressing child labor requires a multifaceted approach that includes providing economic support to families and promoting education and job opportunities.

Significant progress has been made in regions like Asia and the Pacific, where child labor prevalence dropped from 5.6% to 3.1%. Latin America and the Caribbean also saw an 11% reduction in total cases. However, the pace of progress remains alarmingly slow, and to meet the 2025 target, efforts would need to be scaled up 11 times the current rate.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell highlights the pressing issue of child labor, where millions of children are forced to work in hazardous conditions in mines, factories, and fields just to survive.

Russell emphasizes that despite progress made, global funding cuts are jeopardizing these gains. These cuts are having a devastating impact, putting children’s lives at risk and limiting access to essential services like healthcare, education, and nutrition.

Russell urges the international community to prioritize funding for critical aid programs, emphasizing that every dollar invested in humanitarian aid and development creates long-term benefits and a more stable and secure world.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell emphasized the need for increased investments.

Russell highlighted that underfunding in these areas forces families to rely on child labor, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and vulnerability. By investing in these areas, we can help prevent child labor and ensure children have a chance to thrive.

The report reveals a nuanced picture of child labor, with:

Boys more likely to be involved in child labor overall.
Girls disproportionately affected when considering unpaid household chores exceeding 21 hours/week.

While progress has been made since 2000, with a decline from 246 million to 138 million children in labor, experts warn that:

Political will and accountability have been insufficient to achieve the 2025 target.
More needs to be done to address the root causes of child labor and ensure all children can access education and a safe childhood.

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