June 1st — International Children's Day. We are accustomed to thinking about protection from war, diseases, and violence. But there is another threat: child labor. In the world, 160 million children work instead of studying and playing. They dig, wash, crawl under the ground. Not for wages, but for a bowl of rice. June 1st is a day when we should say, “Childhood is not for work.” We tell about the scale of the problem, the fight, and how everyone can help.

Shocking Numbers

According to the UN, in 2026, there are 160 million children aged 5-17 engaged in child labor worldwide. That's every 10th child. The highest numbers are in Africa (72 million), Asia (62 million), and Latin America (13 million). 80% of children work in agriculture, 12% in services, and 8% in industry (including mines).

70 million children are engaged in dangerous work: with pesticides, in mines, on construction sites, with sharp tools. Every year, from 10,000 to 30,000 children die in industrial accidents.

In Russia, child labor is prohibited. But according to unofficial data, children work on markets, in auto repair shops, picking berries and mushrooms (often migrants). There is no accurate statistics.

Why Children Work

Poverty. Families cannot feed their children, and children are forced to earn a living. In Africa, a child's income can be half of the family's income. Cultural traditions. In some societies, working is the norm. A child must “help.” Lack of schools. If there is no school or it is far away, parents send children to work. Conflicts and migration. Child refugees often work in the black market, without documents. Debt. Parents hand over children into debt slavery for a loan. Corruption. Labor inspections do not work, and employers benefit from using cheap child labor.

The Most Dangerous Types of Child Labor

Mines. Children extract cobalt, tin, gold in Africa. They work 12 hours a day without a protective mask, breathing toxic dust. Many die from collapses. Agriculture. On cocoa plantations (Côte d'Ivoire), children work with machetes, pesticides. Poisonings, cuts, injuries. Clothing production (Bangladesh, India). Children sew T-shirts for global brands in hot workshops, 14 hours a day. Fatigue, poor lighting, fire risk.

Heavy street work: selling goods, collecting garbage, washing cars. Risk of accidents, violence. Sexual exploitation. Millions of children, mostly girls, are involved in prostitution (India, Thailand, Philippines).

How the World Combats Child Labor

The International Labour Organization (ILO) created Convention 182 (1999) on the Prohibition of the Worst Forms of Child Labor. It has been ratified by almost all countries. However, enforcement is lacking. UNICEF fights locally: builds schools, provides allowances to families so that children can study.

Brands (Nestlé, Mars, Nike) under public pressure introduce “certification”: they check supply chains for child labor. The problem: they often turn a blind eye.

In 2026, the program “Red Card for Child Labor” was launched — football clubs and stars (Messi, Ronaldo) call for a boycott of goods produced by children.

What We Can Do

Buy products with Fair Trade labeling. This guarantees that child labor was not used in production. Chocolate, coffee, bananas, cotton. Do not buy goods from suspicious producers (cheap clothes from questionable sources).

Sign petitions. For example, “Stop Child Labor on Cocoa Plantations.” Donate to funds (UNICEF, Save the Children, “Russian Committee for Children's Aid”). Spread information. The more people know, the more pressure on corporations.

On International Children's Day (June 1st), you can organize a charity run to raise money for a school in Africa.

What Is Being Done in Russia

The Labor Code of the Russian Federation prohibits work for children under 14. From 14 to 16, only light work in free time from school (with the consent of parents and guardianship authorities). From 16 years old, full legal capacity, but with restrictions (no harmful work). Child labor is prohibited at night, on weekends, and holidays.

Offenders are fined (up to 100,000 rubles). However, cases of child labor do exist: in the service sector, agriculture, in circuses (acrobats). Especially affected are children of migrants (from Central Asia), who work on markets, construction sites.

In 2025, a hotline for protecting children from labor exploitation was created in Russia. You can call 8-800-...

On International Children's Day, June 1st, let's remember not only our own children but also those whose childhood has been stolen. Those who, at 10 years old, carry ore in a mine instead of solving math problems. We cannot save everyone. But we can start with ourselves: not to buy chocolate from suspicious producers, not to turn a blind eye, to sign a petition. Every ruble, every voice, every like is a brick in the wall of protection.

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