Towards ending child labour – where do we stand?

Study Presentation and Panel Discussion with UN Special Rapporteur Olivier de Schutter and Sr. Regina Ignatia Aflah

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a global framework adopted by the United Nations in 2015 to address pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges by 2030. Among these, Target 8.7 aims to end child labour in all its forms by 2025. However, the latest global data on child labour show that in 2025 – the year when this goal was to be reached – 137.6 million children are still in child labour, 54 million of them in hazardous work. Why is child labour  such a persistent issue? What is being done to fight child labour internationally and on the ground? These questions are at the centre of a new ÖFSE study which investigates where and in what forms child labour occurs today, what measures have proven effective, and what Austria and the EU can and should do to contribute to addressing the complex challenge that child labour is.

The panel discussion will showcase the progress and obstacles in the fight against child labour from different perspectives, covering the international efforts in this regard as well as the work on the ground with directly affected communities.

Registration: We kindly request that you register at registration@oefse.at and let us know whether you plan to attend in person or online.

By participating in this event, you agree to the publication of photos and film footage taken during the event by the organizers.