Every June the International Labour Organisation (ILO) calls on people worldwide to reflect for a day on the fate of working children.

This year the World Day against Child Labour on June 12 fell as the World Cup was in full swing, and organisers added a football flavour to proceedings.

“Wave a red card against child labour” was the motto adopted by the ILO. Through a partnership with footballing body FIFA, the message has been spread to millions.

“Many have said child labour will always be with us,” said Juan Somavia, Director-General of the ILO. “But the global movement against child labour is proving them wrong. ”

“That is the meaning of the symbolic waving of the Red Card against child labour - it’s not just a gesture, it’s a way to highlight our struggle for the right of every child to a real childhood.”

A conference was held in Geneva, where experts from across the globe discussed the ILO’s recent report ‘The end of child labour: within reach’.

The report noted the encourging finding that child labour has decreased worldwide for the first time, dropping by 11 per cent from 246 million to 218 million between 2000 and 2004.

The ILO is now calling upon its member states to clamp down and erradicate the worst forms of child labour - those which pose substantial risk of harm to the young person - by a decade from now.

Alongside the conference, a series of publicity events saw Cameroon World Cup legend Roger Milla “kicking the ball” against child labour in a friendly match with local girls’ teams.