SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Institutions: Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoL&E)
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO), has launched the ASEAN Roadmap for the Prevention of Child Labour Including the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2035. This new ten-year framework (2026–2035) renews the region’s commitment to accelerate collective action towards ending child labour and was recognized by ASEAN Leaders at the 47th ASEAN Summit.
The comprehensive framework is organized under three focus areas—Prohibition, Prevention, and Protection—and provides practical guidance for governments to strengthen law enforcement, expand access to education and social protection, and promote responsible business practices.
The three strategic focus areas are designed for a coherent and holistic response:
Prohibition: Focuses on strengthening law enforcement, institutional capacity, and good governance to prohibit child labour practices, particularly in global and domestic supply chains.
Prevention: Focuses on tackling root causes, including expanding access to education (formal and TVET), promoting rural development, and extending social protection systems.
Protection: Focuses on strengthening cross-sectoral referral systems that can identify and offer support to children removed from the worst forms of child labour.
The Roadmap targets persistent threats in vulnerable sectors like agriculture and tackles root causes such as poverty, indebtedness, and barriers to education. Crucially, it also addresses emerging risks associated with migration, climate change, and the digital economy.
As a neighboring South Asian economic leader, India can benefit from and contribute to the Roadmap’s success. The focus on integrating measures against emerging risks (climate change, digital economy) and targeting the persistence of child labour in agriculture directly aligns with India’s own domestic challenges. The success of this regional framework, built on shared best practices in social protection and law enforcement, offers valuable blueprints for accelerating progress toward SDG Target 8.7 across South Asia.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can India and ASEAN establish a joint mechanism for sharing best practices on due diligence and traceability to curb child labour in shared regional supply chains?
Follow the full news here: https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/asean-launches-new-regional-roadmap-prevent-child-labour