For many, Labor Day weekend marks the end of the summer season and one last long weekend to soak up the warm weather before kids head back to school and otherwise prepare for a busy fall.

Few of us stop to acknowledge the origins of Labor Day, a federal holiday created by Congress in 1894 to recognize and celebrate the social and economic achievements of American workers and to remind us of the need to protect the rights, health and safety of workforce.

The need to protect workers' rights continues 130 years later, along with the need to refocus on a problem that must be eradicated once and for all: the scourge of child labor.

It's a crisis I've been through working to solve for nearly 30 years, starting when I was 12 and starting a small children's charity that grew surprisingly large called Free The Children, which focused on freeing enslaved children forced to work in factories in Pakistan and India .

Despite some progress over the years, the data on the number of children deprived of education and forced to put their physical and mental development at risk remains alarming.

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), it is over 160 million children (those between 5 and 17) engaged in child labour. The figures are highest in less developed countries, with 23% of children in those countries forced to work.

Agriculture sector accounts for 70% of children in child labor (112 million), followed by 20% in services (31.4 million) and 10% in industry (16.5 million).

Surprisingly, there is a direct correlation between poverty and the prevalence of child labor. When Free the Children began its work in Southeast Asia, we helped physically remove children from the unsafe factories where they worked. But very often, we would find the same children in the same factory a few weeks later because their families needed the income to survive.

We realized then that we needed a holistic approach focused on the root causes of child labor – poverty. But throwing money at the problem wouldn't solve it. Poor community health, lack of access to clean water and food, along with poor educational options and a lack of employment opportunities for adults, all contribute to situations in which child labor is seen as the only solution.

To break the cycle, all root causes must be addressed simultaneously. Economic opportunity for parents means that families do not have to rely on their children's work. Direct access to healthy food and clean water means that children do not have to spend their days walking tens of miles to get drinking water and food. Adequate health care ensures a healthy community in which adults can work and children can attend school and thrive.

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Addressing these issues on a village-by-village basis helps mitigate child labor at a micro level within communities. However, on a global, macro level, businesses play the largest role in removing child labor from global supply chains.

The first step is to acknowledge the problem and publicly commit to eliminating it. Global brands such as IKEA and Costo have taken the lead in making such commitments.

IKEA has said that as a global business it has a responsibility to demonstrate leadership by ensuring that its supply chain is free from child labour.

Costco has reinforced controls in countries that are part of the supply chain to ensure compliance with it Supplier Code of Conductwhich specifically prohibits child labor and only allows workers over the age of 18 to work in potentially hazardous conditions or with heavy machinery.

But it's not just the billion-dollar companies that will be part of the solution. Companies of all sizes and sectors can do their part by taking concrete steps to help end child labor in their operations and supply chains.

Related: 3 McDonald's franchises are fined for violating the child labor law

Here are some steps you can consider for your business or organization:

1. Become a member of the ILO Child Labor Platform: Join in other member companies such as Coca-Cola, Chanel, Samsung and IKEA in their commitment to end child labour. Members gain access to tools, the eventsworkshops and partnerships with other businesses to help them identify, prevent and remediate child labor in their supply chains. Even if you don't officially become a member, the ILO website offers many resources to help educate and address child labour.
2. Conduct a due diligence audit: THESE audits can help you understand where to look within your supply chain and what to look for. If you make clothes, you can work to ensure that children do not pick at the cotton you use. If you are in agriculture, you can conduct age verification audits or work to verify that children are not exposed to harmful pesticides.
3. Employ young people in the right roles: There is nothing wrong with a 16-year-old getting his first job. In North America, this might be serving ice cream at a retail store or checking out tickets at the movies. It is important to know the difference between that type of work for a young person and child labour, which the ILO defines child labor as work that deprives children of their childhood, potential and dignity and that is harmful to physical and mental development .

Try to create roles at your company, such as student internships or summer jobs, that allow young people to save for college or buy a car in a safe environment while doing age-appropriate work.

While these may seem like small steps, every impact helps in the global fight to permanently eliminate child labor. As you enjoy the Labor Day holiday, consider heading into the fall by making a commitment for your company to be part of the solution.