In the U.S., child labor violations have risen in recent years — including some that have proven deadly — with teens working in construction, food services, agriculture and more, according to the Department of Labor.
“The hardest type of investigation we do is when we do have to investigate a case where a minor gets seriously injured or worse,” Juan Coria, the department’s Wage and Hour Division administrator for the Southeast, told McClatchy News.
Coria describes young workers as “very vulnerable,” and strongly recommends that parents discuss their children’s jobs with them and be a part of their decision when it comes to starting a new job.
Child labor investigations and violations have been trending upward since 2015. While this is due to a “combination of factors,” Coria says, part of the reason is an increase in young workers in the workforce nowadays.
Here’s what parents should know and be on the lookout for in terms of child labor violations.
Nearly 3,000 minors were working “in violation of the law” nationwide in 2021, with three dying as a result — including a 16-year-old construction worker after a 160-foot fall in Nashville, Tennessee, according to the Labor Department.
Each year, roughly 160,000 children in the U.S. suffer injuries while working, including 54,000 that are serious, according to a Wage and Hour Division fact sheet.
“One injury, one fatality is one too many,” Coria told McClatchy News.
Coria — who oversees Wage and Hour Division...
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