With attention focused on the FIFA World Cup in football, entities defending the rights of workers and children and adolescents launched the “Red Card to Child Labor” campaign. The mobilization is part of the global mobilization around the World and National Day to Combat Child Labor, celebrated on June 12, The initiative is led by the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE), the Labor Court, the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Public Ministry of Labor (MPT) and the National Forum for the Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor and Protection of Adolescents at Work (FNPETI).  Related news: MPT makes an agreement with Meta to identify profiles involving child labor. MEC publishes booklet on combating child labor. Restricting children at LGBTQIA+ events is a matter of hate, says legal expert. The objective of the campaign is to strengthen the engagement of public institutions, civil society organizations, the private sector and citizens in combating child labor, especially in a context of social inequalities.  On the official FNPETI website, you can find a booklet with guidelines for social mobilizations, legislation linked to the cause, and campaign communication pieces.  Public and private entities, civil society organizations and citizens can now join the campaign. If you witness a situation of child labor, anyone can report it to the MPT (www.mpt.mp.br), the Ipê System of the Ministry of Labor and Employment (ipetrabalhoinfantil.trabalho.gov.br) or Dial 100. Child Labor According to ILO data, around 138 million children are in child labor in the world. In Brazil, according to a 2024 survey carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the estimated number is 1.64 million.  The IBGE survey showed that, among children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 in child labor situations, only 88.8% were students, while 97.5% of the total population in this age group attends schools. The biggest difference appears between teenagers aged 16 and 17, with school attendance reaching 81.8% among those in child labor.  The study also shows that there was a 2.1% increase in young people in this condition, when the data is compared with those from 2023. The biggest increases were recorded in the South and Northeast regions, while the biggest drop rates were in the North region of the country.  Of the total presented by IBGE, 560 thousand were in activities included in the List of the Worst Forms of Child Labor (TIP List). This group includes activities with greater potential for harm to health, safety and morale, such as, for example, sexual exploitation and work in unhealthy conditions.  In addition to compromising schooling and development, child labor exposes children and adolescents to occupational risks and health problems. The Public Ministry of Labor points out that, between 2007 and 2024, there were more than 45 thousand serious work accidents involving children and adolescents in the country.  Social mobilization In a note, the director of the International Labor Organization Office for Brazil, Vinícius Pinheiro, highlights the importance of mobilization: "In a year when countries will be united by the passion of football during the World Cup, the Red Card to Child Labor campaign in Brazil joins the ILO's global campaign to warn that we also need to unite in defense of children."  The national coordinator for Combating Child Labor and for the Promotion and Defense of the Rights of Children and Adolescents (Coordinfância) of the Public Ministry of Labor (MPT), Fernanda Brito Pereira, adds that child labor is still naturalized and made invisible, which makes it more difficult to combat the practice. "The campaign seeks to enable children and adolescents to take ownership of their rights and understand the situations of violation they experience so that they can report them when they are unable to avoid them. The objective is that the clarification contributes to preventing child labor and strengthening the full protection of children and adolescents", he explains.  *Intern under the supervision of journalist Mariana Tokarnia.