ILO: 138 Million Children Trapped in Child Labour in 2024

By Iyojo Ameh

As the world commemorates the World Day Against Child Labour, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has disclosed that an estimated 138 million children were engaged in child labour globally in 2024 with 54 million of them involved in hazardous work that poses serious risks to their health and development.

The ILO’s Director-General, Mr. Gilbert Houngbo, revealed the figures on Thursday during the ongoing 113th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva.

Houngbo acknowledged that although some progress has been made, the world has fallen short of its goal to eliminate child labour by 2025. The new joint estimates by ILO and UNICEF indicate a reduction of 22 million cases since 2020, reversing an earlier rise between 2016 and 2020.

“These numbers offer a glimmer of hope,” Houngbo said. “But to sustain progress, families need to be supported with decent jobs and incomes so children can stay in school, not in fields or on the streets.”

Echoing his sentiments, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stressed that meaningful progress can be achieved through a combination of legal safeguards, social protection, free and quality education, and better employment opportunities for adults.

Russell noted that agriculture remains the largest contributor to child labour, accounting for 61% of cases. Services, including domestic work and street trading, make up 27%, while industry, such as mining and manufacturing, accounts for 13%.

“Even one child in labour is too many,” Russell said. “We must accelerate investments in social protection and strengthen child welfare systems to prevent exploitation, particularly in the most dangerous forms of labour.”

Back home, Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Mohammad Dingyadi, reaffirmed the country’s efforts as a designated Pathfinder Country committed to eradicating child and forced labour.

Dingyadi said Nigeria is taking concrete steps, including reviewing existing laws, training enforcement agencies, and rehabilitating affected children through community-based programmes.

Meanwhile, Mr. Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, Director-General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), called for urgent and intensified efforts across Africa to eliminate child labour.

“Millions of Nigerian children are still trapped in dangerous labour conditions, sacrificing their education and future. We must act decisively to break this cycle,” he said.

Both the ILO and UNICEF have called for urgent, coordinated global action, stressing that child labour is not just a moral issue, but a development crisis that undermines long term economic and social stability.