27/05/2026
Children’s Day reminds us that every child deserves protection, education, and dignity — not exploitation through labour.
Globally, the core legal instruments are the ILO Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138), which requires states to pursue the effective abolition of child labour and set a minimum age for employment, and the ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182), which prohibits slavery-like practices, trafficking, forced labour, prostitution, po*******hy, and hazardous work for children.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, especially Article 32, also protects children from economic exploitation and from work likely to harm their health, education, or development.
On Children’s Day, the message is clear: children belong in schools and safe spaces, not in harmful labour.
