Today, more than 160 million children worldwide are deprived of their rights to education, health, and a safe life, and are forced into the labour market—many of them under hazardous and exploitative conditions.

Child labour is a deep-rooted, multidimensional structural problem that cannot be explained by individual choices.

Poverty, informal employment, unequal access to education, the weakness of social protection systems, armed conflict, war, climate change, and forced displacement are among the core drivers that perpetuate child labour across generations.

Therefore, the struggle against child labour must go beyond prohibitive legislation and be grounded in comprehensive public policies based on social justice and universal rights.

In this context, the ILC advocates the following core principles:

• Every child must have guaranteed access to free, quality, and inclusive education.
• A zero-tolerance policy towards child labour must be adopted; national and international monitoring and enforcement mechanisms must be strengthened.
• ILO Conventions No. 138 and No. 182 must be fully and effectively implemented in all countries.
• Universal income security and expanded social protection must be ensured for families.
• Universal social protection systems, including early childhood care and parental support, must be established and reinforced during crises to prevent the expansion of child labour.
• Effective inspection mechanisms must be developed, and penalties increased in sectors where child labour is prevalent—particularly agriculture, domestic work, and textiles.

The ILC once again declares: we will not forget the children of Gaza.

On this meaningful day, we must also remember not only economic exploitation, but the devastating impact of war on children.

In the blockaded Gaza Strip, thousands of children have been killed or left struggling with deep trauma. Under these conditions, children are not only trapped in poverty, but are fighting for survival against systematic violence that targets their very right to exist.

The international community must not remain silent in the face of these grave violations that openly defy the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other core human rights instruments.
Urgent and concrete action must be taken to protect Palestinian children.

Children are not meant to work, but to live, play, learn, and grow in freedom.
The fight against child labour is not only a responsibility for today, but a moral obligation to our shared human future.
Let us end this injustice together and build a fair, safe, and hopeful world for every child.

Every Child Deserves to Play, Learn, and Grow.