Child labour involves various types of exploitation and abuse, often caused by conditions of extreme poverty, lack of schooling opportunities, and economic and political situations where the rights of children are not respected.

The World Day against Child Labour, falling on 12 June, aims to draw attention to the plight of children caught up in these forms of exploitation and abuse.

The 2023 edition of the Day, first launched in 2002 by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), is dedicated to the topic of Social Justice for All. Putting an end to child labour!

To mark the occasion, the International Labour Organisation is organising an event on 12 June in Geneva, during the 111th International Labour Conference, to be held from 5 to 16 June. The meeting will address the link between social justice and the elimination of child labour.

Also of note is the online meeting Protecting the rights of working children, promoted by Unicef Italy, which will also take place on 12 June, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. The event – during which the report Child Labour in Italy: risks, accidents and safety in the workplace will be presented – is part of a larger project that has seen Unicef Italy engaged in an awareness-raising campaign on the job protection and safety of under-18s. Information on the meeting is available on the organisation's website, in the dedicated news item.

Save the Children is also taking action for the anniversary, re-launching the survey on child labour in Italy It's not a game, which aims to define the contours of the phenomenon, understand its characteristics, evolution over time and connections with dropping out of school. The survey is available online on the Save the Children website, in the "Publications" section.

To further explore the topic of the Day, we offer the legal framework produced by the National Documentation and Analysis Centre for Childhood and Adolescence and the following study materials selected from the A.C. Moro Innocenti Library: a bibliographic investigation on child labour; a bibliographic investigation on working children and adolescents.

Other materials and news can be found on this site under the topic Child labour, accessible from the "Topics" navigation menu.