[Photo: FILE]

The International Labour Organization says the fight against child labour must begin before children are exposed to exploitation, urging countries to shift focus from elimination to outright prevention.

Speaking during the World Day Against Child Labour celebrations, ILO Labour Standards Specialist Maria Cabrera said the traditional approach of rescuing children after they have entered the workforce is ineffective.

She stresses that governments, communities, and families must work together to shield children from exploitative situations.

“For many years, the ILO spoke about the elimination and eradication of child labour. While that remains important, the approach we are now promoting is prevention.”

Cabrera identified quality education as the most critical prevention tool, stating that children – particularly in remote areas – must have access to trained teachers, proper infrastructure, and quality learning opportunities.

She also warns that social media has emerged as a growing concern, exposing children to risks once rarely discussed publicly.

“Many years ago, talking about child labour and exploitation was taboo. Today, we cannot avoid these conversations, especially as children are increasingly exposed to social media from a very young age.”

Cabrera adds that prevention requires the involvement of families, churches, schools, and civil society organizations.

She commended Fiji for ratifying key international conventions on child labour and for joining Alliance 8.7, a global partnership committed to ending child labour, forced labour, and human trafficking.

Finally, Cabrera encouraged students to speak up if they encounter children in harmful situations, calling child labour prevention a shared societal responsibility.

This year’s World Day Against Child Labour theme is, “Red card to child labour, fair play for children and decent work for adults.”