What problems are exposed behind the escalating problem of child labor in the United States and the crying of childhood? Child Labor | Media | USA

June 12th is World Day Without Child Labor. In the self proclaimed "lighthouse of human rights" in the United States, the problem of abuse of child labor has long become "black under the lamp". In recent years, the issue of illegal child labor in the United States has been alarming, and related incidents have emerged one after another.

The Number "Black Under the Light" Says About Child Labor in the United States

According to data released by the US Department of Labor, in the fiscal year 2022, 835 companies illegally employing child labor were investigated, involving over 3800 children. The number of illegally employed child labor increased by 69% compared to 2018. Among them, the number of child victims engaged in hazardous work increased by 26% compared to the previous year.

However, the issue of illegal child labor being investigated is only the tip of the iceberg in the exploitation of child labor in the United States. According to data from the US Department of Labor, millions of teenagers in the United States were employed in the agriculture, food services, retail, entertainment, and construction industries in 2022.

The agricultural sector is one of the hardest hit areas for child labor in the United States. According to data provided by the non-profit organization Farm Workers Employment Project Federation, there are still 500000 to 800000 child laborers working on farms in the United States. Farm labor is heavy and conditions are difficult, and child labor is often placed in danger due to weather, pesticides, and the use of agricultural tools and machinery. The Washington Post reported that between 2003 and 2016, 452 children in the United States died from work-related injuries, including 237 child laborers who died in agricultural accidents.

In the United States, the black profit chain of exploiting child labor is becoming increasingly fierce, and many immigrant children from Central American countries are deeply affected. In the fiscal year 2022, a total of 130000 unaccompanied immigrant children entered shelters in the United States, doubling the number from five years ago and reaching a historic high. The New York Times revealed that from meat processing plants to construction sites to slaughterhouses, the presence of migrant child labor is spread across "dangerous industries in dozens of states across the United States.".

To this day, the United States remains the only country among the 193 members of the United Nations that has not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the prospects for addressing the issue of child labor remain bleak.

Employers exploit children to fatten themselves

There are several comics that expose the employer's exploitation of child labor.

In this cartoon, a skinny child laborer works 11 hours a day, delivering profits to greedy employers and raising them to the point where they are all fed up.

In this cartoon, children forced to work think about their lost childhood, while employers think about the huge economic benefits, luxury cars, and houses brought to them by exploiting cheap labor.

Behind the Crying Childhood - Capital Greed and Legal Defects

Some public opinion points out that in the United States, the escalating problem of child labor has become a "systemic problem" in American society. Behind this lies a series of interest calculations and legal flaws.

According to recent reports from American media, many states in the United States have passed or are considering relaxing legal restrictions related to child labor. Some American media believe that the reason why the state legislatures unanimously decided to take this idea is that the cost of employment in the United States has soared after the COVID-19 epidemic and the labor supply is insufficient. The competition among states to relax child labor legislation is aimed at legalizing exploitation.

According to a survey by American media, the majority of child laborers in the United States are immigrant children from Central America. For example, Arkansas has passed new legislation that eliminates the requirement for children to obtain parental permission to work, openly opens the door for businesses to hire immigrant children who are separated from their families, and legally exonerates child labor intermediaries.

Insider Joel David: If you make a mistake at work, you will be treated like an adult, but these children are not mature enough to handle such emotional pressure.

Independent media personality Robert Reich: Why did it happen? The answer is terrifyingly simple: out of greed. Employers find it too difficult to hire the people they want with the wages they are willing to pay. They don't want to cut profits and spend more money hiring adult employees, but instead turn to exploiting children.

The problem of child labor abuse continues to persist, rooted in obvious loopholes in the US legal system. According to federal law in the United States, minors under the age of 18 are prohibited from engaging in hazardous work. But the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 in the United States stipulated that non hazardous industries could hire minors aged 14 and above. In this round of child labor related legal amendments in various states, some even allow 14-year-old children to work 6 hours of night shifts and allow 15-year-old children to work on assembly lines, which were previously not allowed.

According to current US law, the maximum civil fine for illegally hiring a child laborer is only $15000. If a child worker is seriously injured or dies at work, the maximum fine is actually less than $69000.

Wendy Young, Chairman of the "Children in Need of Protection" organization in the United States: I believe that the fine amount should be increased, and illegal child labor should be investigated as a potential criminal case, which is particularly important for controlling illegal child labor.