SDG 8 · Decent Work and Economic Growth

138 million children are still in child labour.

Eco Heroes turns that fact into a story a 9-year-old can hold onto: His Mother's Gaze, book 8 of 17 in the SDG Library.

Unlock all 17 books → Read SDG 1 free

The target, in plain language

What the UN actually promised

Target 8.7

…and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.

These are the last words of a longer target. The 2025 deadline has now passed and it was missed, even though 20 million fewer children are working than in 2020.

Target 8.5 aims for decent work for all women and men, including young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value.

Why it matters

The number behind the story

138M

children remain in child labour Almost 8 per cent of all children worldwide, doing work that takes time, safety or school away from childhood.

Source: The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026, UN DESA. Figures as published in July 2026.

The story

His Mother's Gaze

Written by Ricardo Alcántara (Premio Lazarillo) · Illustrated by Jordi Vila Delclòs

Book 8 of 17 in the Eco Heroes SDG Library, one illustrated story for each UN Sustainable Development Goal. Included with any Eco Heroes plan (families from €79 a year + VAT: €95.59 with 21% Spanish VAT; the VAT and the total that apply to you are shown before you pay); SDG 1 is free to try. Published in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Japanese, Korean and Chinese.

Reading guide: questions, vocabulary and activities →

Bring it into the room

Talk about it, try it

Discuss

One question to ask after reading

“What makes a job a ‘good’ job? Is it the money, the safety, the respect, or something else?”

Try it: 15 minutes

Interview a grown-up

Spend ten minutes interviewing an adult you know about their first job: how old they were, what they earned, what was hard. Share one surprise with the group.

Watch

The short mission video

April and Karim walk through this goal in a short video, with subtitles in your language.

Transcript

Everything said in the video, in order, with the words and figures shown on screen.

Version for ages 9–12

April: Fair work. Fair growth. An Eco Heroes mission.
On screen: An Eco Heroes mission · Goal 8 · ages 9–12
On screen: See something real
April: Every object passed through many workers' hands. What makes a job a good job?
On screen: A real question is where every mission starts.
On screen: Investigate the system
Karim: Decent Work is a system, not a headline.
On screen: 160M children are in child labour — many in hazardous work. (Source: ILO & UNICEF, 2021)
On screen: 2B workers are in informal jobs with no contract or protection. (Source: ILO, 2023)
On screen: 3× Young people are about three times more likely to be unemployed than adults. (Source: ILO, 2023)
On screen: Step 4 · Meet someone who understands it
Karim: 160 million children are in child labour — many in hazardous work. 2 billion workers are in informal jobs with no contract or protection. Ask the people who know: a shop owner, an apprentice, a trade union member.
April: Your mission — Who Made This?. Trace the hidden hands behind an everyday object. Do: Pick one item and list the jobs needed to make and deliver it.
On screen: Prove: Draw the chain of people involved.
On screen: Reflect: Whose job looked hardest?
April: Bring it to school.
On screen: Bring it to school: Show your class what you found. One finding from each of you becomes a map of your town.
April: Show your class what you found. Discuss it at home.
On screen: Discuss it at home: Tell your family what you did and ask them one question about it. Information fades — questions travel.
April: Tell your family what you did and ask them one question about it. Take action locally.
On screen: Take action locally: Pick the one action from your mission you can do this week — and tell one person why.
Karim: A true story — The Union of the Grape Pickers. Every moment is an organizing opportunity.
On screen: Small hands. Real problem. Real change.
Karim: Dolores Huerta. 17 goals, 13 languages, one hero: your child. eco-heroes.org
On screen: eco-heroes.org/game

Version for ages 13–17

April: A job isn't always a good job.
On screen: An Eco Heroes mission · Goal 8 · ages 13–17
On screen: Notice something real
April: 1 in 5 young people worldwide is not in work, education or training. What makes a job fair — and who decides?
On screen: Hard questions are where real missions start.
On screen: Map the system
Karim: Work is a system: wages, contracts, safety, skills and supply chains. About 2.1 billion workers have informal jobs, with no contract, sick pay or social protection.
On screen: 2.1B workers have informal jobs with few protections. (Source: ILO, 2026)
On screen: 138M children are in child labour. (Source: ILO & UNICEF, 2025)
On screen: 257M young people aren't in work, school or training. (Source: ILO, 2026)
On screen: Step 4 · Talk to someone who knows
Karim: Interview someone who knows: a union rep, a small-business owner, an HR manager.
April: Your mission — Who Made This? Trace one thing you own back to the people who made it.
On screen: Do: Pick a phone, trainers or a T-shirt and research its supply chain.
On screen: Prove: Map each step and what workers earn there.
On screen: Reflect: What would a fair price look like?
April: Take it to school.
On screen: Take it home: Ask your family about their first job — was it fair?
On screen: Act where you live: Write to the brand with one question about its workers.
On screen: Real data. Real questions. Real change.
April: Present your supply-chain map and compare it with your classmates' products. Then take it home, and act where you live.
Karim: A true story. Every moment is an organizing opportunity. Dolores Huerta. 17 goals, 13 languages, your move. eco-heroes.org

A real example

Denmark's flexicurity model

In Denmark, the "flexicurity" model combines flexible hiring with strong unemployment benefits and job training. Workers can be let go easily, but the state supports them to retrain — making it both efficient and humane.

Quick check

Test yourself

What does decent work include?Show the answer

Any job at any wage
Safe conditions, fair pay and workers' rights
Only office jobs
Working 80 hours a week

Answer: Safe conditions, fair pay and workers' rights — Decent work means productive employment with fair pay, safety, social protection and workers' rights.

Child labour is any work done by children.Show the answer

Answer: False — Child labour specifically refers to work that deprives children of their childhood, health or education — not all child work is harmful.

What is the gig economy?Show the answer

Concert work only
Short-term flexible work via digital platforms
A gaming industry term
Agricultural seasonal work

Answer: Short-term flexible work via digital platforms — The gig economy involves short-term contracts and freelance work — often through apps like Uber or Deliveroo — with limited worker protections.

Go further

Lesson plan for this goal → The book in the library → An activity for this goal → Play the SDG trivia →

Seventeen goals, seventeen stories

Every SDG gets its own illustrated book, its own facts and its own activities. SDG 1 is free to try: its game chapter, trivia and video. The books and the other goals unlock with a family, school or hotel plan.

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