Child Labor laws in agriculture in the US - Research Paper Example

Child Labor laws in agriculture in the US The management labor laws with respect to Children is a controversial topic all over the world. In principle, most of the countries agreed that children below the age of 18 years should not be allowed to work in any of the organization. “The International Labor Organization defines child labor as work that: Deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and is harmful to physical and mental development” (Child Labor, p.1). This is because of the fact that children during their developmental stages need to concentrate more on their studies rather than on profession in order to prepare them for meeting future challenges. Injecting children into the professional world at an young age may create more harm than the good as far as their development is concerned. “The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) stating that 431,730 youth between the ages of 12 and 17 are hired for agricultural work annnually.7c There is no data for children under the age of 12” (Child Labor, p.1). In America, The Department of Labor is the federal agency which manages child labor laws. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is the most popular child labor law in America. FLSA is designed and implemented in such a way that children below the age of 16 years should never be injected into any of the jobs which are detrimental to their health and safety (Youth & Labor). Many people have the belief that even though child labor laws are so strict in America, it is not so at least in the agricultural sector. In other words, there many underage children in America who undertake hard work in agricultural sector. This is not because of the shortage of any laws; but because of the lack of sincerity from the part of the authorities in enforcing it strictly in agricultural sector. US laws with respect to child labor in agricultural and nonagricultural field are entirely different. Minimum age for nonhazardous work in nonagricultural field is 14 for children whereas for hazardous work in the same sector, it is 16. On the other hand, at the age of 10 itself, children can start their work in agricultural sector, if they get parental consent. At the age of 14, children can undertake any work in the agricultural sector without parental consent (U.S. Federal Child Labor Law). Form the above statistics, it is evident that agricultural sector and nonagricultural sectors are visualized differently by the authorities as far as child labor in America is concerned. In other words, authorities have the belief that agricultural sector is comparatively safe and secure for children to start their works. Even the minimum wage laws are different for agricultural sector. “Many agricultural employers are exempt from federal minimum wage requirements and they are exempt from overtime requirements under federal law” (U.S. Federal Child Labor Law). In other words, agricultural employers can force the workers to do overtime and that also without providing any overtime allowances to them. Children seem to be the major victims in the agricultural field because of such controversial laws. It should be noted that in any other sector, employees may have trade unions whereas in agricultural sector, such unions are not prevailing and therefore the dictatorships of the employers are taking place in this sector. Hundreds of thousands of children are employed as farmworkers in the United States today. Though child labor laws are in place for many sectors, agriculture has a major labor law loophole that exploits children. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), children often work 10 or more hours a day with sharp tools, heavy machinery, and dangerous pesticides, and die at four times the rate of other working youth. They are often unable to keep up with their peers and drop out of school in alarming numbers (End Child Labor in U.S. Agriculture: Support the CARE Act) Authorities have the false belief that agricultural sector is comparatively safer to the children. This is not at all true when we analyze the dangers associated with the handling of fertilizers, chemicals pesticides and sharp tools. For example, endosulfan, a powerful chemical used as a pesticide in agricultural sector has been prohibited recently all over the world because of the late awareness about its destructive power upon the children “Endosulfan is neurotoxin causing convulsions and death. It is an endocrine disruptor, a reproductive toxicant, and there is increasing evidence that it is genotoxic. Epidemiological studies have provided evidence of birth defects, intellectual and behavioural impairment, and disrupted sexual development” (ENDOSULFAN IN WEST AFRICA: Adverse Effects, its Banning, and Alternatives, p.3). it should be noted that before the prohibition of this pesticide, it was used extensively in the agricultural field. Thousands of reports are coming out from India and Africa about the destructive power of endosulfan. Millions of children are exposed to endosulfan like toxic materials daily in American agriculture lands and the authorities showing little interests in enforcing strict labor laws in agricultural sector. “Many young farmworkers are forced to work without access to toilet facilities, handwashing facilities, and adequate drinking water, the three most basic sanitation requirements” (Abusive Child Labor Found in U.S. Agriculture). Child farmworkers, usually use contaminated foods and beverages. They may not get enough facilities to enjoy fresh and pure food items. Thus they are most vulnerable to diseases such as headaches, dizziness, rashes etc. More serious problems may develop after some time from the exposure to toxic materials and therefore people may not recognize it as the outcomes of exposure to fertilizers and pesticides. “Due to children being less experienced, weaker and smaller than adults, it is more dangerous for them to work around heavy machinery and sharp tools. Hearing problems, lacerations, dehydration and back problems are the more mild threats young ones face” (The Problem of Child Labor in US Agriculture). Authorities have an illusion that agricultural works are comparatively safe and secure for the children. However, the mortality rates in agricultural sector due to accidents are more than that in other sectors. This is because of the extensive use of sharp equipment in the farm fields. Children may not have the same expertise in operating modern machineries and therefore they are the major victims of accidents in agricultural fields. Reuters on Wed Aug 31, 2011, reported an accident in which a 17 year old boy lost his life in an accident while working in the farm field. “Earlier this month, a Colorado company pleaded guilty in federal court for violating workplace laws in the death of a 17-year-old boy who suffocated after being sucked under flowing grain while cleaning a bin” (U.S. seeks to strengthen safety rules for child farm workers) Human Rights Watch charged in a report Fingers to the Bone: United States Failure To Protect Child Farmworkers. The international rights group found that child farmworkers often work twelve- and fourteen-hour days, and risk pesticide poisoning, heat illness, injuries and life-long disabilities. The vast majority of child farmworkers are Latino (Abusive Child Labor Found in U.S. Agriculture). Majority of the children working in American agricultural lands are African Americans or black people. The number of white children working in the farm fields are extremely negligible. Even after hundreds of years from the abolition of slavery, still the waves of discrimination are evident in American social life. In other words, double standards can be still visible in American social life for Blacks and Whites. The policy making bodies or the Congress is dominated by the White community and they are not much worried about the problems facing by the black child labors in agriculture lands. “Statistically, only 55 percent of farmworker children in the United States finish high school. Of the dozens interviewed by Human Rights Watch, nearly everyone had dropped out of school for at least one extended period of time” (Abusive Child Labor Found in U.S. Agriculture). In fact allowing children to work long hours in the farm fields will prevent them from doing other works such as playing, studying etc. However, authorities are not much bothered about such problems. Majority of the farmworker children belongs to the lower class in American society and therefore authorities are keeping a blind eye towards the issues related to them. As in the case of other countries, the authorities in America are more interested in protecting the interests of the upper class. They know very well that enforcement of strict child labor laws in farm fields may create worker shortage in this sector. America is already struggling to find enough manpower in other employment sectors. Immigrants are not much interested in undertaking employment in agricultural sector. Under such circumstances, authorities are thinking that it is wise to keep silence over the issues related to the farmworker children. To conclude, American authorities are showing less interests in enforcing child labor laws in agricultural sector. Minimum wage requirements are not implemented in this sector and employers can ask the child labors to work overtime without providing additional benefits. Handling of sharp machineries, fertilizers, chemicals and pesticides are causing many accidents to children working in the farm lands. The shortage of manpower forces the authorities to keep a blind eye towards the employment violation in farm fields. Works Cited “Abusive Child Labor Found in U.S. Agriculture”. 2000. Web. 16 November 2011. “Child Labor”. 2009. Web. 16 November 2011. “End Child Labor in U.S. Agriculture: Support the CARE Act”. 2011. Web. 16 November 2011. “ENDOSULFAN IN WEST AFRICA: Adverse Effects, its Banning, and Alternatives”. 2009. Web. 16 November 2011. “The Problem of Child Labor in US Agriculture”. 2010. Web. 16 November 2011. “U.S. Federal Child Labor Law”. 2011. Web. 16 November 2011. “U.S. Seeks to Strengthen Safety Rules for Child Farm Workers”. 2011. Reuters. Wed Aug 31, 2011 “Youth & Labor”. 2011. Web. 16 November 2011. Read More