Impact of child labour on mental health

Thematic Panel

12/02/2026

11:15

-

13:00

Plenary Hall

Watch this session live on ILO Live streaming.

Child labour remains a worrying global phenomenon, affecting millions of children, particularly in contexts of poverty, crises, and the informal economy. Beyond its physical and educational consequences, child labour has deep and lasting impacts on the mental health and psychosocial well-being of the children concerned. Early exposure to arduous, hazardous, or abusive working conditions increases the risks of chronic stress, anxiety, depression, psychological trauma, and hinders children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development. Yet the mental health dimension remains insufficiently integrated into policies and programmes aimed at combating child labour. This thematic session aims to create a space for reflection, exchange, and capacity-building around the links between mental health, child protection, and child labour, in order to promote more holistic and child-centred responses.

Speakers

Pr Ghizlane Benjelloun

Pr Ghizlane Benjelloun

Vice-President of the National Observatory for the Rights of Children (ONDE)

The National Observatory for the Rights of Children (ONDE)

Vicky Kanyoka

Vicky Kanyoka

General Secretary International

Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF)

Elspeth Chapman

Elspeth Chapman

Strategic Partnerships and Advocacy Specialist

Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action

Armando Barriguette

Armando Barriguette

Member of the National Research System of the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition SZ

The National Research System of the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition SZ

Philip D. Jaffé

Philip D. Jaffé

Professor and member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child

University of Geneva

Chakib Guessou

Chakib Guessou

Radiologist, socio-anthropologist, social scientist, international consultant and essayist

Moderators

Ahmad Akhchichine

Ahmad Akhchichine

former Moroccan Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports