The United Nations‘ labour agency has hailed a “historic” milestone in the drive to end child labour after a global treaty to protect children from sexual exploitation, forced labour and armed conflict was signed by all member states. The International Labour Organization (ILO)’s convention against the worst forms of child labour was backed this week by the Pacific island nation of Tonga, making it the first U.N. labour treaty to be ratified by all 187 of its members. The convention, which is legally binding on governments, was adopted in 1999 and has been ratified amid rising concerns that economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic could reverse two decades of gains in combating child labour. The number of child labourers worldwide has dropped to 152 million from 246 million in 2000, according to the ILO. However, as the pandemic pummels the global economy, pushing millions of people into poverty, families may be under pressure to put their children to work for survival, campaigners say.

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