Newspaper Investigation Reveals Lax Enforcement of Child Labor Laws
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On a typical day, more than 400 workers younger than 18 are hurt on the job in the United States and one is killed every 10 days. At the same time, the number of federal child labor investigations has declined by half since the Bush administration took office eight years ago.
In a two-part series last week, the Charlotte Observer revealed that employers are ignoring federal child labor laws and getting away with it. As part of its investigation, the Observer interviewed more than 20 current and former House of Raeford Farms workers who said the North Carolina-based poultry company often hired underage workers. Click here and here to read the series.
North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley (D) told the Observer:
It’s hard to believe that’s going on in this century and in this state….You’re really talking about a form of child abuse here.
