Child Rights in Ethiopia

According to the 2023 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, Ethiopia’s laws still don’t fully protect children from the worst forms of child labour. For example, they don’t clearly ban using children for commercial sexual exploitation, and they allow 15- and 16-year-olds to do hazardous work. Some types of work, like traditional weaving, where children use unsafe tools and machines, aren’t covered by safety rules. Also, education is not free for everyone, and there’s no set age for when children must finish school, which makes it easier for them to end up in exploitative jobs that can damage their health and development.

Around 24% of children aged 5–14 in Ethiopia are working, with agriculture accounting for 76.3% of child labour cases. At the same time, Ethiopia is emerging as a growing hub for global manufacturing, particularly in textiles and apparel. As the country becomes more attractive for sourcing, companies must take steps to understand and address the risks in their supply chains – especially in agriculture and manufacturing – by conducting strong human rights due diligence to prevent child labour and other rights violations.