ILO’s Anders Johnsson in conversation with Shine Global’s Co-CEO, Creative Director and Anuja producer Alexandra Blaney at the 6th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour in Marrakech, Morocco in February 2026.

Co-CEO’s Alexandra Blaney and Francile Mullen were proud to represent Shine Global at the 6th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour, held in Marrakech, Morocco, where governments, workers, employers, and civil society leaders gathered to accelerate progress toward ending child labour worldwide. With an estimated 138 million children still trapped in child labour globally, including 54 million in hazardous work, the conference served as a powerful reminder of both the urgency of the crisis and the need to move from commitments to meaningful action.

As part of the conference program, Shine Global hosted a special screening of Anuja, our Oscar-nominated short film centering on child labour and girls’ education through the story of a nine-year-old girl working in a garment factory in Delhi. The screening was followed by an engaging Q&A with the film’s producer and Shine Global Co-CEO and Creative Director Alexandra Blaney, who spoke about the importance of storytelling in the fight for children’s rights.

Introducing the film, moderator Anders Johnsson who leads the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) regional communications strategy across Africa, reflected on the limits of statistics alone: “138 million children is an enormous number. And it’s also one which is very difficult to wrap our heads around. So sometimes it’s actually easier to talk about one child, one story. And that’s something that the award-winning short film Anuja does extraordinarily well.”

While global frameworks and statistics are essential, Shine Global’s message throughout the conference was that we also need stories that bring these numbers to life and to help people connect emotionally and understand what child labour looks like in the daily realities of children and families. Throughout the conversation, Alexandra returned to the power of personal narrative to move beyond abstraction. “138 million is an unimaginable number of children. I don’t even really know what that means. But I can see Anuja’s story and I know what that means and why we need to stop child labor.”

That distinction between statistics that can wash over people and stories that connect on a human level shaped Shine Global’s broader message in Marrakech: policy frameworks are needed, but without storytelling to galvanize public will, they struggle to gain traction.

Alexandra also moderated the conference’s CSO Forum session, which focused on the indispensable role of civil society organizations in reaching children and families. The discussion highlighted that CSOs are often the only actors with direct access and insight, yet their work is frequently constrained by limited funding, fragmented coordination, and policy frameworks that do not fully reflect the realities they confront on the ground. As Gazal Malik, Lead – Policy and Advocacy at Global March Against Child Labour, noted during the session, “Civil society has become the emergency service—we identify, rescue, counsel and negotiate, all on project funding. That is not sustainable.”

Participants explored practical ways to strengthen collaboration between community-based initiatives and national policy commitments, and how to carry forward the new global framework emerging from the conference. Alexandra reinforced how storytelling can complement these policy conversations. She described how Shine Global has seen films influence legislation and local decision-making in the past, from supporting the passage of the Child Soldier Prevention Act to informing new child labour proposals in the United States. With Anuja, the impact has already extended globally: distributed by Netflix in more than 190 countries and viewed over 10 million times in its first ten months, the film has reached audiences far beyond traditional policy circles.

Crucially, the film balances realism with hope. “When audiences watch a film, that’s only the very first step,” Alexandra said. “That’s raising awareness. But then as soon as they walk out of the theater, they need to take the next step. And I don’t think that you’ll take that next step if you have no hope.” By portraying children not as passive victims but as resilient, joyful, and full of agency, the film invites action rather than despair.

Ending child labour will require enforcement, financing, and political leadership. But it will also require stories that help the world see the child behind the statistics—and feel compelled to ensure that no child has to choose between survival and an education. Shine Global leaves Marrakech inspired and energized, with a renewed commitment to using film and storytelling alongside advocacy and partnerships to advance the global movement to eliminate child labour.

Storytelling is not peripheral to this movement—it is an essential tool within it. As Alexandra reflected at the close of the session, what gives her hope is “the very fact that we’re having these conversations,” and the resilience and joy she sees in the children she meets through this work.

Watch the full Anuja Q&A here: https://live.ilo.org/event/storytelling-childrens-rights-conversation-following-anuja-2026-02-12

Watch the full CSO Forum here: https://live.ilo.org/event/civil-society-organization-forum-policy-practice-bridging-gaps-building-impact-2026-02-12

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ABOUT SHINE GLOBAL

Shine Global is a nonprofit media company that improves the lives of children by telling powerful stories to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce and support inspiring films and compelling content about underserved children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on Capitol Hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

Since our founding in 2005 by Susan MacLaury and Albie Hecht, Shine Global films have won more than 100 major awards, including an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject for Inocente, an Academy Award® nomination for Best Live Action Short for Anuja, and an Academy Award® nomination and two Emmys® for War/Dance. Recent films include the documentary-animation hybrid Liyana, the hit documentary The Eagle Huntress, Through Our Eyes: Homefront which is available on HBOMax, the Ariel Award winner Home Is Somewhere Else, and Comedy Against the Odds which is currently in film festivals.

ABOUT SHINE GLOBAL’S RESILIENCE AWARDS

The Shine Global Resilience Awards were created to honor films that highlight the strength, dignity, and power of children in the face of adversity. Past winners of Shine Global Resilience Awards include the feature documentaries Speak. (2025, Directed by Guy Mossman and Jennifer Tiexiera), Daughters (2024, Directed by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae), Name Me Lawand (2023, Directed by Edward Lovelace), and Lift (2022, Directed by David Petersen), Los Frikis (2024, written and directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz) in partnership with Nantucket Film Festival, the short Rise (2025, Directed by Jessica J. Rowlands), the short documentary Ayenda (2023, directed by Marie Margolius) in partnership with Heartland Film’s Indy Shorts International Film Festival, Okthanksbye (2023, Nicole Van Kilsdok) with ReelAbilities Film Festival, Savauges (2024, directed by Claude Barras), and Dounia – The Great White North (2024, directed by Marya Zarif and André Kadi) in partnership with the New York International Children’s Film Festival.