The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) has called for urgent and decisive measures to eliminate child labour across the continent.

Akhator Joel-Odigie, secretary of the ITUC, made the call while speaking with journalists on Friday on the sidelines of the ongoing 114th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland.

The World Day Against Child Labour is celebrated every June 12, and the 2026 theme of the global campaign is “Fair Play for Children, Decent Work for Adults”.

Mr Joel-Odigie urged governments and stakeholders to intensify efforts against child labour.

He noted that about 138 million children remain trapped in child labour globally, while nearly 54 million of them are engaged in hazardous work.

He added that Sub-Saharan Africa has continued to bear the greatest burden, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all child labour cases worldwide, representing about 87 million children.

Mr Joel-Odigie said the persistence of child labour in Africa was driven by poverty, inequality, conflicts and inadequate investments in social protection and quality public education.

“Progress on paper cannot mask the lived reality of tens of millions of African children denied their right to learn, to play and to grow safely,” he said.

He said African workers remained committed to collaborating with governments to address structural challenges that perpetuated poverty and increased child labour across the continent.

“We are committed to working with our governments to defeat and reverse structural challenges weighing down our continent and exacerbating developmental incidences such as child labour,” he said.

Mr Joel-Odigie described child labour as fundamentally a labour rights issue, stressing that poor wages, unemployment and weak social protection often forced families into difficult survival choices.

“When adults are denied decent work, fair wages and social protection, families are pushed into impossible choices,” he said.

He said ending child labour required greater investments in social protection programmes, including universal child benefits and income support for vulnerable households.

According to him, stronger public education systems, effective enforcement of labour laws and responsible practices across agricultural supply chains are equally necessary.

“Agriculture alone accounts for 61 per cent of all child labour cases globally, underscoring the need for urgent interventions across supply chains,” he said.

The ITUC-Africa leader urged African governments to fully ratify and implement the International Labour Organisation Conventions 138 and 182 on the minimum age and the worst forms of child labour.

He also called for the implementation of the Marrakech Framework adopted at the sixth global conference on the elimination of child labour.

He further urged governments to invest in universal social protection programmes and ensure free, compulsory and quality public education for all children.

“Together, we say: Red card to child labour,” Mr Joel-Odigie said.

He said that dedicated financing was needed to improve access to education, especially for girls and children in rural and conflict-affected communities.

(NAN)