World Day Against Child Labour is observed globally on June 12 each year, highlighting the urgent need to eliminate child labour and ensure that every child has the opportunity to grow up in a safe environment with access to education and proper care.
Child labour refers to any form of work that is inappropriate for a child’s age or development, whether physically or mentally. Despite this, many children around the world are pushed into labour due to poverty and deep-rooted social inequalities. This early exposure to work can have lasting negative effects on their physical health, mental development, and emotional well-being.
As we observe World Day Against Child Labour today, it’s important to reflect on these realities and renew our commitment to ending this global issue.
World Day Against Child Labour 2025: Date And Theme
World Day Against Child Labour is observed annually on June 12. In 2025, it will be marked on a Wednesday. This year’s theme, ‘Progress is clear, but there’s more to do: let’s speed up efforts!’ highlights the strides made in tackling child labour, while underlining the urgent need to accelerate action worldwide to achieve global targets.
Why Is ‘World Day Against Child Labour’ Day Important?
Observed on Thursday, June 12, 2025, this year’s World Day Against Child Labour also marks the 26th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour. The day serves as a platform for governments, organisations, and civil society to reaffirm their commitment to eradicating child labour by reinforcing the application of key international frameworks, specifically, ILO Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour and Convention No. 138 on the Minimum Age for Employment.
Despite notable progress, child labour remains a widespread issue. According to UNICEF, an estimated 138 million children are still affected globally, with 54 million engaged in dangerous and exploitative work environments.
In 2024, nearly 138 million children were engaged in child labour.
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 11, 2025
Though progress has been made since 2020, millions are still being denied their right to learn, play and and simply be children.
UNICEF and @ilo are urging governments to take action.https://t.co/9D0Gxb7wGY pic.twitter.com/KG8h9jSYjG
To address this, the 2025 observance is centred on the theme, “Progress is clear, but there’s more to do: let’s speed up efforts!”, a reminder that while advancements have been made, there’s an urgent need to scale up global action to meet child protection goals.
In India, the Constitution bans the employment of children under 14 in hazardous industries such as mining. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) also maintains that no one under the age of 18 should be involved in any form of hazardous work. To tackle this issue, the Indian government introduced the National Policy on Child Labour in 1987, focusing on the rehabilitation of children engaged in dangerous occupations.
World Day Against Child Labour is observed to reinforce the global call to protect children from work that threatens their health, safety, and future.
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Credits: Freepik/UNICEF Twitter
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