NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 12 — Rights groups and international organizations have renewed calls for urgent global action to end child labour, warning that millions of children continue to be denied their right to education, safety and a dignified childhood despite years of international commitments.Marking the World Day Against Child Labour on Friday, the United Nations revealed that nearly 138 million children worldwide remain engaged in child labour, including 54 million performing hazardous work that threatens their health, safety and development.The global observance comes under the theme, “Red Card to Child Labour: Fair Play for Children, Decent Work for Adults,” a campaign aimed at rallying governments, employers, workers, businesses and civil society organizations to intensify efforts to eliminate child labour.“This is a global emergency that demands urgent, sustained action,” the United Nations said in a statement. “On today’s World Day Against Child Labour, we should all raise the Red Card and do what we can to end child labour.”The UN noted that while progress has been made in reducing child labour over the years, the pace remains too slow to meet international targets, leaving millions of children vulnerable to exploitation in agriculture, mining, domestic work, manufacturing and other sectors.The 2026 observance comes at a critical juncture following the Sixth Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour held in Marrakech, Morocco, where governments and stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to accelerate action and transform pledges into tangible outcomes.According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the persistence of child labour is closely linked to poverty, lack of access to quality education, inadequate social protection systems and weak enforcement of labour laws.ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo described the continued existence of child labour on such a scale as unacceptable and called for accelerated implementation of measures designed to tackle its root causes.“Today, nearly 138 million children remain in child labour, including 54 million in hazardous work. This is unacceptable – we must accelerate action,” Houngbo said.He pointed to the Marrakech Global Framework for Action against Child Labour as a key roadmap for governments and development partners. The framework emphasizes expanding decent work opportunities for adults, ensuring universal access to quality education, strengthening social protection programmes and reinforcing legal and institutional safeguards for children.Houngbo noted that the framework introduces clear indicators and accountability mechanisms to monitor progress and maintain global attention on the issue beyond 2030.Rights advocates say the figures highlight the urgent need for governments to move beyond commitments and implement policies that directly address the economic and social conditions forcing children into labour.The campaign’s football-inspired “Red Card” symbol is intended to send a strong message that child labour has no place in modern society and that every child deserves the opportunity to learn, play and grow up in a safe environment.“As we mark this World Day Against Child Labour, we must act with urgency and determination,” Houngbo said. “Every child has the right to learn, to play and to grow up protected and safe.”The United Nations and its partners are urging countries to strengthen education systems, expand social safety nets, create decent employment opportunities for adults and enforce child protection laws as part of a comprehensive strategy to eradicate child labour worldwide.Despite notable gains over recent decades, campaigners warn that without sustained political will and increased investment, millions of children could remain trapped in cycles of poverty and exploitation for years to come.