Impact Briefing: Scaling Action on Child Labour Through Child Rights Action Hubs

Businesses operating in global supply chains are under increasing pressure to identify, prevent and address child labour risks, particularly in complex, lower-tier and informal production settings where visibility and leverage are limited. To support this, The Centre for Child Rights and Business (The Centre), in collaboration with the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), has released a new briefing for businesses titled “Addressing Child Labour in Complex Supply Chains: An Impact Briefing on Collaborative Solutions for Businesses”.

The briefing focuses specifically on the Child Rights Action Hubs, a collaborative initiative that the FCDO has been supporting through the Modern Slavery Fund since 2025. This collaboration is helping to strengthen and expand Action Hubs in Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – three sourcing markets for UK businesses where child labour risks are prevalent, particularly in informal, subcontracted and lower-tier supply chains that often sit beyond the reach of traditional audits.

In these contexts, risks are typically highest where company leverage is weakest. The Action Hubs respond to this by bringing companies together with local partners to take collective, locally embedded action, mobilising businesses to identify, prevent and address risks, while supporting practical remediation through education, vocational training, entrepreneurship initiatives and access to decent work for youth, among other initiatives. At the same time, the model strengthens local civil society capacity and child protection systems, including identification, referral and support mechanisms for children, families and workers.

Drawing on data, case studies and implementation experience from four active Action Hubs in Bangladesh, Pakistan, the DRC and Malaysia, the briefing captures best practices and lessons learned to help build the evidence base for effective, scalable interventions in high-risk sectors. While the FCDO-supported programme focuses on Bangladesh, Pakistan and the DRC, insights from Malaysia provide an additional perspective across different operating environments.

The briefing is particularly relevant for UK businesses – and others sourcing from high-risk markets – seeking to move beyond fragmented efforts and instead engage in coordinated, long-term action that strengthens supply chain practices while delivering better outcomes for children, families and communities.

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