Child labor, defined by the International Labour Organization as work depriving children of their childhood, potential, and their dignity, is a pressing global issue. Let’s explore this important topic through a collection of powerful photos.
![In Afghanistan’s arid terrain, a young girl in a yellow veil places bricks in rows outside at a factory.](https://wvusstatic.com/www/uploads/2024/01/W005-0284-006.jpg)
On June 12, as we recognize the United Nations–sanctioned World Day Against Child Labour, we reflect on the 160 million children worldwide — almost 1 in 10 — engaged in child labor.
![The back of a boy in a red shirt is turned as he works alongside a man, shaving wood at a woodworking factory.](https://wvusstatic.com/www/uploads/2024/01/W030-0787-080-1.jpg)
Among these children, 79 million worked under hazardous conditions in 2020.
![A boy in a vibrant purple long-sleeve shirt kneels in a vegetable field clearing weeds.](https://wvusstatic.com/www/uploads/2024/01/W030-0767-007.jpg)
Most child laborers, approximately 70% (112 million), work in agriculture, predominately farming and herding.
![A girl dressed in a patterned blue veil sits in a camp in southern Somalia.](https://wvusstatic.com/www/uploads/2019/10/W345-0142-043-1280x853.jpg)
Child labor is most prevalent in impoverished regions, marked by dangers like armed conflict. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest number of child laborers at 86.6 million children, followed by Central and Southern Asia with 26.3 million.
![A child wearing a black knit cap sits with their back turned on dirt, breaking rocks in a Kenyan minefield.](https://wvusstatic.com/www/uploads/2024/01/W200-0426-004.jpg)
Children, especially vulnerable during their early developmental years, are at risk of injuries that may not be evident as physical and mental health problems until later stages of life.
![A girl’s right hand holds one rung of grates on a window, with an outside view of a blurred scene of trees and sunshine.](https://wvusstatic.com/www/uploads/2024/01/D259-0374-03.jpg)
Approximately 6.3 million children endure forced commercial sex exploitation.
![Two boys stack bricks on their heads. Another helps stack, and another sits on the brick wall. One boy leans against the wall holding a brick.](https://wvusstatic.com/www/uploads/2024/01/W062-0013-005.jpg)
Due to the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a rise in child labor.
![A girl, obscured by a red veil, sits at a sewing machine at a garment factory.](https://wvusstatic.com/www/uploads/2024/01/W030-0787-062.jpg)
Regrettably, child labor prevents children from getting the education they need to break free from the cycle of poverty. One in 3 children in child labor are out of school.
![A boy’s back is turned to the camera as he watches other children, wearing backpacks, head off to school.](https://wvusstatic.com/www/uploads/2024/01/W030-0767-018.jpg)
World Vision places children at the center of all our holistic development work to equip communities to sustainably transform themselves.
![A bespectacled girl, in a white shirt and navy vest, stands in a public square amid flags.](https://wvusstatic.com/www/uploads/2024/01/W256-0231-003.jpg)
We help empower children to understand and exercise their rights and equip them with tools to work toward their own well-being.
![A group of brick workers in Nepal sit on the ground facing a standing person who is speaking under a blue sky with clouds.](https://wvusstatic.com/www/uploads/2024/01/W260-0400-004.jpg)
We collaborate with parents and communities to work toward the protection of children, helping safeguard their futures from the injustice of labor exploitation. Our efforts extend to working with governments to advocate for supporting and enforcing national child labor laws.
![BRiCKK Project Photos Children in Nepal seated on the floor in a classroom smile at the camera, some making peace signs with their hands.](https://wvusstatic.com/www/uploads/2024/01/W260-0400-008.jpg)
Our dedication lies at the core of supporting and nurturing the positive transformation of communities: helping ensure every child can reach a brighter future and fulfill their fullest potential.