Many Americans live unaware of how deeply child labor institutions are rooted in our economy because child labor laws in the United States give the illusion that it isn’t an issue. Yet, many U.S. companies work around labor laws by outsourcing goods and building factories in other countries where child labor is legal or disregards labor laws entirely.
30 years ago, 28% of American workers were employed in manufacturing, compared to only 8% now. The decrease in American labor has to be made up for, presumably in other countries.
160 million children worldwide are engaged in child labor, with African and Asian countries leading in its practice.
In the U.S., companies such as Packers Sanitary Services Inc. and McDonald’s have been fined by the U.S. Department of Labor for using child labor, and working children for inappropriately long hours in dangerous environments. Many states are battling to weaken child labor laws.
“14 states have either introduced or enacted legislation rolling back regulations that govern the number of hours children can be employed,” says journalist and author of “Child Labor in America is Back” Steve Fraser.
In 2021 a fourteen-year-old boy in Nebraska who was employed to clean slicing machines was “falling asleep in class and missing class as a result” and “suffering injuries from chemical burns,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
There are levels of appropriateness when it comes to the employment of children. Working to fill up time or to make some extra money can be extremely beneficial to a child’s growth, however, boundaries are crossed too often.
Children were tending giant ovens to make Chewy and Nature Valley granola bars and packing bags of Lucky Charms and Cheetos,”
— said New York Times investigator Hannah Drier.
Between October of 2022 and July of 2023, the Department of Labor found that 4,474 children were employed on terms that violated federal child labor laws. Most cases of violation found 10-13 year olds working longer hours than what the law allows.
American consumption patterns indirectly support child labor––when we purchase from companies without knowing where they source their goods, or if they’ve been found to violate child labor laws, we may be supporting the growth of companies that use immoral business practices.
The common American supply chain production practice––where raw materials are eventually transformed into a finished product––encourages American outsourcing of base materials.
Foreign goods such as bricks, teas, produce, cotton, tobacco, grain, precious gems and metals, garments, yarn, thread, and textiles are commonly produced with child labor.
While it is not possible to control the practices of other countries, it is possible to purchase more mindfully. Companies tend not to consider morality in their practices until their profit suffers. Support businesses that stand to better the planet.
