A survey by the National Forum for the Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor and Protection of Adolescents at Work (FNPETI) mapped more than 130 federal initiatives aimed at children and adolescents. Despite the resumption of public policies in recent years, they are insufficient in the face of the 1.65 million minors in child labor in Brazil. The publication Federal Public Policies for Children, Adolescents and Youth between 2024 and 2025: Preventing and Combating Child Labor and Promoting Protected Work for Adolescents, released this Friday (12), World and National Day to Combat Child Labor, also brings together budgetary data and analysis of mapped policies and programs. Related news: In the World Cup atmosphere, the campaign calls for a 'red card for child labor'. MPT makes an agreement with Meta to identify profiles involving child labor. MEC publishes booklet on combating child labor. “Brazil has not achieved the goal of eradicating the worst forms of child labor set out in the SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals] and this shows that we are still far from guaranteeing full protection for all children and adolescents”, said, in a note, the executive secretary of FNPETI, Katerina Volcov. SDG target 8.7 established the eradication of the worst forms of child labor by 2025. According to the forum, the analysis points out that the existence of programs and guidelines does not, in itself, guarantee concrete results. The entity mentioned that issues related to financing, budget execution and coordination and dialogue between federal agencies continue to be obstacles to the effectiveness of public policies. Volcov also assesses that tackling the problem needs to be a permanent priority for the Brazilian State, highlighting that 1.65 million children and adolescents have their rights violated. According to IBGE's Continuous PNAD 2024, Brazil records 1.65 million children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 in child labor. The number represents an increase of 34 thousand cases compared to the previous year. The study also highlighted the imbalance in the relationship between investments and guaranteeing rights. “Although children and adolescents represent around 24% of the Brazilian population, investments aimed at this population correspond to less than 2.5% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product - wealth produced in the country), according to a study by Ipea and Unicef ​​used as a reference for the survey”, the forum announced in a note. Policy disruption The case of Strategic Actions for the Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor (AEPETI) is highlighted by the forum as one of the clear examples of the impacts of the discontinuity of public policies. According to the survey, the program's budgetary action was no longer included in the Annual Budget Bills between 2020 and 2024. When it returned to the federal budget, in 2024, the forecast was R$3.6 million for the entire country, which represented around R$2 per child and adolescent per year. In 2016, investment had reached R$83.9 million. At the end of 2025, the allocation of annual amounts of R$79.2 million to AEPETI was announced. "AEPETI plays an important role in articulating local protection networks. When funding is interrupted, municipalities lose the ability to identify cases, monitor families and develop preventive actions on an ongoing basis", assessed FNPETI's technical advisor, Izabela Ramos.  For FNPETI, the challenge in the coming years is to ensure continuity, adequate financing and intersectoral coordination of public policies aimed at the full protection of children and adolescents. “In addition to increasing resources, it is necessary to ensure committed governance, with transparency and continuity in public policies”, concluded Katerina Volcov.