The International Labour Organization (ILO), in collaboration with the Government of Telangana, has officially launched the Child Labour Platform (CLP) Programme in India, marking a major milestone in the country’s ongoing fight against child labour. The launch took place during the 16th Annual Meeting of the Child Labour Platform held in Hyderabad, under the theme “From Policy to Impact: Leveraging Knowledge and Action to Prevent Child Labour and Promote Competitiveness in Supply Chains.”
The meeting brought together representatives from governments, multinationals, and social partners, including the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) and the International Trade Union Congress (ITUC), who serve as CLP co-chairs. The global gathering underscored the urgent need to accelerate progress in eliminating child labour, as over 138 million children worldwide continue to be engaged in it—a figure that highlights the slowing pace of progress and the pressing demand for innovative, multi-stakeholder action.
India’s role in the global supply chain landscape makes this initiative particularly significant. As one of the world’s largest suppliers of agricultural commodities such as coffee, cotton, spices, and sugarcane, India plays a pivotal role in ensuring that ethical and sustainable practices are embedded across its value chains. “Ensuring decent work for adults, social protection for both adults and children—including migrants—as well as quality education for children, fair recruitment practices, and responsible business conduct are essential to breaking the cycle of child labour,” said Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director, ILO India. She added that India’s collaborative efforts between business, government, and social partners demonstrate how partnerships can lead to meaningful change.
The Child Labour Platform Programme in India adopts an area-based approach designed to address the specific challenges faced by migrant workers and their children in agricultural supply chains. The initial phase will focus on Karnataka and Telangana, with plans for future expansion to other states and sectors. The programme’s objectives include promoting awareness of fundamental labour rights, particularly the elimination of child labour in coffee, spices, cotton, and sugarcane sectors; improving access to public services for migrant workers; and strengthening the capacity of businesses to implement fair recruitment practices and enhance due diligence systems.
Building on the ILO’s previous engagement in Telangana’s cotton sector, the new initiative aligns with India’s National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct and international frameworks such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and ILO conventions. It reflects India’s commitment to enforcing child labour laws while promoting responsible and sustainable business operations.
The meeting also highlighted CLP’s global achievements, including improved child labour monitoring and remediation systems in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, and enhanced access to health insurance schemes in Côte d’Ivoire. Participants engaged in dynamic roundtable discussions on area-based strategies, due diligence, fair wages, and ethical recruitment to address the root causes of child labour across multiple sectors.
Since its establishment in 2012, the Child Labour Platform has brought together businesses from diverse industries—ranging from agriculture and automobiles to construction and luxury goods—to collaborate on eliminating child labour in supply chains. In India, the initiative gained momentum in 2022 with the formation of the CLP India Country Working Group, followed by a 2023 study on child labour and interstate migration in Telangana, and training sessions on child labour due diligence in 2024. These efforts culminated in the development of a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder intervention programme, now officially launched, marking a decisive step from policy commitments to real-world impact.
The launch of the CLP Programme in India represents a powerful commitment to ensuring that economic growth and competitiveness go hand in hand with social justice and the protection of every child’s right to a safe, educated, and dignified childhood.
