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CHILDLABORINAGRICULTURE

Ithasbeenestimatedthathundredsofthousandsofchildrenundertheageof18workonfarmspickingthefruitsandvegetablesthatsupportthemulti-billiondollaragriculturalindustryintheUnitedStates.1Beforetheageof18thesechildrenandteensmayworklonghours,underdangerousconditions,receivinglowpay,whilemigratingalongsidetheirparentsformonthsatatime.Thisfactsheetisacompilationofthelatestdataavailableregardingunderageagriculturalworkers.ChildreninU.S.Agriculture

• Childagriculturalworkersmayworkonfarmsunderthreedifferentscenarios:

o Thosewhoworkontheirparents’orfamilymember’sfarm

o Thosewhoworkonlocalfarmspart-timeorduringthesummertoearnextramoney.o Thosewhofeelcompelledtoworkoutofeconomicnecessity,oftenmigratingalone

orwiththeirfamiliesfromfarmtofarm.2

• AlthoughitisdifficulttocountthenumberofadultandunderageindividualsworkinginagricultureintheUnitedStates,severalsourcesdooffersomeestimates.o AHumanRightsWatchpublicationin2000,FingerstotheBone,estimatedthat

between300,000and800,000minorswereemployedinagriculture.3Thisfigurerangeswidely,andmayincludebothhiredworkersandchildrenwhoworkonthefamilyfarm.

o Agriculturalemployersreporteddirectlyhiringmorethan200,000workersundertheageof18in2006,butthisdoesnotaccountforworkerswhomayhavebeenhiredbycontractorsorsubcontractors.1

o Resultsofthe2007-2009NationalAgricultureWorkersSurvey(NAWS)indicatethat3percentoftheagriculturalworkerssurveyedwerebetweentheagesof14and17.4

• Agriculturalworkersundertheageof18arelikelyfoundinlargernumbersinthosestatesthathavethehighestnumberofadultagriculturalworkers.ThesestatesareCalifornia,Florida,NorthCarolina,Texas,Oregon,andWashingtonState.2

• Thereisnoofficialdataforchildrenundertheageof12workinginthefieldsbutduring

fieldvisitsfrom2003to2005,theAssociationofFarmworkerOpportunitiesProgram(AFOP)observedchildrenunder12workinginthefields.Theyalsoreportthatmanychildrenwork“offthebooks”byusingtheirparents’socialsecuritynumbers,suggestingthatthetotalofemployedchildagriculturalworkersmaybecloserto500,000.2

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• A2010HumanRightsWatchstudyrevealedchildrenintheUnitedStatesworkinginagricultureasearlyasage7,8or9forafewhoursatatime,andbyages11or12,theywereoutofschoolandworkingfulltime.1

InjuriesandFatalities

• Thenatureofagriculturalworkexposeschildlaborerstomanyrisksanddangers,

manyattributedtothefollowingtypesofworkorconditions.Everyyear,approximately115childrendieinanagricultural-relatedincident,andnearly12,000experienceanon-fatalinjury.Theprimarycausesoffatalinjuriesare:

o Workingwithmachinery,includingtractors(25%)o Useofmotorvehicles,includingATVs(17%)o Drownings(16%)5

• ResearchconductedinNorthCarolinawith87agriculturalworkersaged10-17yearsfoundthat14%hadexperiencedaninjurywhileworkingduringthepastyear,and54%reportedexperiencingmusculoskeletalpain.6

• Asurveyof489highschoolstudentswhoworkedinagricultureinCaliforniafoundthat8%hadexperiencedanagricultural-relatedinjuryduringthepastyear,andthatfractureswerethemostcommonlyreportedinjury.Workingwithmachinery,tools,motorvehicles,oranimalswerethegreatestriskfactorsforexperiencinganinjury.7

• Childrenundertheageof18areallowedtoworkintobaccofieldsintheU.S.,apracticethatmanycountrieshavebanned.8In2015,HumanRightsWatchconductedinterviewswith2616and17yearoldadolescentsemployedonU.S.tobaccofarms,and25outof26reportedsymptomsofacutenicotinepoisoning.9Earlierinterviewsin2013with141childworkersontobaccofarmsfoundchildrenasyoungas7yearsoldexperiencingsymptomsofacutenicotinepoisoningwhiletheywereworking.8

• TheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculturereleasedareportin2009thatrecorded15,876injuriestoyouthsunder20yearsofagewholived,workedorvisitedafarm.10Thefollowingdatafor2009wasalsonoted:o 58percentofinjurieswereincurredbymales;o Youthages10to15incurredthehighestnumberofinjuriesat6,912;o Youthsunderage10incurred4,111injuries;ando Youthsages16to19incurred4,148injuries.10

• In2009,youthlivingonlivestockoperationshadahigherrateofinjury(8.1injuries/1,000youth)comparedtotheircounterpartsoncropoperations(6.6injuries/1,000youth).11

• Agriculturehasthesecondhighestfatalityrateamongworkersofallagesat22.8per100,000full-timeequivalentscomparedto3.4per100,000acrossallindustries.12

• Thenumberofagricultureinjuriesamongyouthhasbeendecliningsince2001,butthenumberofinjuriesannuallyremainsabove10,000.5

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HeatandSun

• InastudyconductedbyHumanRightsWatchin2010,manychildrensaidthattheiremployersdidnotprovidedrinkingwater.Thelackofdrinkingwaterisespeciallyproblematicwhenconsideringtherisksofdehydrationandheatillness.1Thesesamechildrenreportedthattheyhaveeitherexperiencedorwitnessedthirst,dehydration,dizziness,and/orfainting.Excessiveheatexposurecanleadtodeath.

• Anexampleofanunderageagriculturalworkerdeathoccurredin2008.SeventeenyearoldMariaVasquezJimenezdiedfromheatstrokewhilelaboringinaCaliforniagrapefield.Workersstatedthatthenearestsourceofwaterwasa10minutewalkaway,andthelaborforemandidnotpermitbreakslongenoughtoenableworkerstoreachthewatersource.13

• From1992to2006,68agriculturalworkerswerereportedtohavediedfromexposuretoenvironmentalheat.14Theaverageannualfatalityratefromheatstressforcropworkersduringthistimewas0.39per100,000full-timeemployees,ascomparedto0.02forworkersinallindustries.

MusculoskeletalInjuries

• Farmworkischaracterizedbyconstantbending,twisting,carryingheavyitems,andrepetitivemotionsduringlongworkhours,allofwhichcontributetomusculoskeletalinjuries.2

• TheHumanRightsWatchreportedchildrensayingthatduetorepetitivemotionandliftingheavyweightsonthejobfivetosevendaysaweek,theyincurredpaintotheirbacks,knees,hands,andfeet.1ThiscoincideswithastudydoneonagriculturalworkersoftheeasternUnitedStatesthatfoundthatagriculturalworkerssufferedmostfrominjuriesandpaintotheneck,shoulders,backandupperextremitiesduetothe“repetitive,work-relatedoverloadingofselectedmusclegroups.”15

Pesticides

• InthestudybyHumanRightsWatch,childrenwhowereinterviewedsaidtheyhavecomeincontactwithpesticidesthroughthesprayingofadjacentfields,beingblownbythewind,workinginfieldsthatarestillwet.1Somereportedbeingsprayedondirectly.

• Comparedtoadults,childrenareatgreaterdangerwhenpesticideexposurehasoccurredduetoagreatersurfacetovolumeratiowhencomparedtoadultswhichresultsinagreaterpesticidedoseandaslowermetabolismofpesticidetoxicantswhichcausespesticidestoremainintheirsystemslonger.16

• Childrenwhodonotworkonfarmsbutlivewithagriculturalworkerparentsmaybeexposedtopesticidesthroughcontaminatedclothingbroughtintothehousebyadults,orthroughpesticidedriftiftheyresideonafarm.17

• AlmostnochildreninterviewedbyHumanRightsWatchsaidtheyhadreceivedtrainingaboutthedangersofpesticides,safetymeasures,orwhattodoincaseofexposure.1

EducationDeprivation

• A2011documentary,TheHarvest/LaCosecha,followsthelivesofthreeteenageagriculturalworkersastheymigratetohelpincreasetheirfamilies’income.18Thesechildrentypically

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migratebetweenMayandNovemberofeveryyearwhichmeansthattheschoolyearendsearlierandstartslaterthannon-migratingchildren.18

• Thesemigratingpatternscauseinterruptedschoolattendanceandmigrantstudentsinterviewedsaytheydomissexams,arefrequentlyconfusedaboutschoolsubjectsandfeeltheyneedmonthsto“catchup”ontheireducation.1

• Astudythatcomparedmigratingandnon-migratingstudentsofsouthTexasreportedthatmigrantstudentsweremorelikelytomissorarrivelatetoschool,sleepduringclass,studyforfewerhours,sleeplessandsufferfromminorillnessesmorefrequently.19Theyalsodropoutofhighschoolat4timesthenationalrate.18

ChildLaborLaws

FairLaborStandardsAct(FLSA)inAgriculture

o Whencomparedtootherworkingyouth,therearedifferentprotectionsandguidelinesthatapplytothoseworkinginagriculture.ThefollowingarealistoflawsthatgovernyouthemploymentinagricultureandacomparisonwithotheroccupationsundertheFairLaborStandardsAct(FLSA),ifapplicable.20

o Atage10and11,localyouthsmayhandharvestshort-seasoncropsoutsideschoolhoursfornomorethan8weeksbetweenJune1andOctober15iftheiremployershaveobtainedspecialwaiversfromtheSecretaryofLabor.21

o Atage12and13,minorsmayworkoutsideofschoolhourswithparentalconsentoronthefarmwheretheparentorguardianisalsoemployed.Childrenaged12yearsoroverareallowedtoworkoncommercialtobaccofarms.

o Forthoseunderage12,theymaybeemployedoutsideofschoolhourswithparentalconsentonafarmwhereemployeesareexemptfromFederalminimumwage.

o Atage14,minorscanworkoutsideofschoolhoursinanyagriculturaloccupation,exceptthosedeemedhazardousbytheSecretaryofLabor.Theminimumageinotheroccupationsisage16.

o Atage16,minorscanperformanyfarmjob,includingthosedeclaredhazardousbytheSecretaryofLabor,atanytime,includingschoolhours.(Foralistofhazardouswork,seepage4intheFLSA:http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/childlabor102.pdf).Inotheroccupations,minorsarenotallowedtoperformhazardousworkuntiltheageof18.

o Minorsworkinginagriculturecanworkanunlimitednumberofhoursoutsideschoolhours.Inotheroccupations,therearestrictlimitsontheamountoftimeminorscanworkoutsideofusualschoolhours.

• Therehavebeenrepeatedattemptstointroducebillsatbothnationalandstatelevelstoprohibitchildrenfromundertheageof18fromworkingontobaccofarmsduetothehazardousnatureofthework.Noneofthesebillshavebecomelaw,althoughseverallargetobaccogrowershaveadoptedpoliciesthatprohibitchildrenfromundertheageof16fromworkingontobaccofarmsfollowingpublicoutcryoverthefindingsofthe2014HumanRightsWatchreportaboutchildworkersinU.S.tobaccofields.22,23

• Childrenwhoworkinthefieldsareexemptfromminimumwageprovisionsincertaincases.Childrenworkinginallotheroccupationsarerequiredtobepaidminimumwage.20

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• Growersoftenpayagriculturalworkerspieceratewages.Thisworkswellforstrongerquickerworkers,buthurtsslowerones.Thisisespeciallytrueofchildrenwhoaregenerallyslowerthanadults.Asaresult,childrencanmakeaslittleas$2to$3anhour.2

• Insomecases,childrenwhoareentitledtominimumwageearningsworkalongsidetheirparentsbutarenotpaidanywage.Thisiscommonwhenparentsarepaidonapiece-ratebasis.Parents,becauseoftheirdesperateneedforhigherwages,allowtheiryoungchildrentoworkwiththemsothattheyplantorharvestmorecropsandhencereceiveahigherrateofpayperhourworked.Whereemployersareawarethatchildrenareworkinginthisway,theyarerequiredbylawtopaythechildrenforthiswork.However,oftenthesechildrenarenotpaidatall.24

References1. HumanRightsWatch.FieldsofPeril.(2010).Availableat:https://www.hrw.org/report/2010/05/05/fields-

peril/child-labor-us-agriculture.(Accessed:2ndJanuary2017)2. AssociationofFarmworkerOpportunityPrograms.Childreninthefields:AnAmericanproblem.(2007).

Availableat:http://afop.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Children-in-the-Fields-Report-2007.pdf.(Accessed:16thNovember2017)

3. HumanRightsWatch.UnitedStatesFailuretoProtectChildFarmworkers.Availableat:https://www.hrw.org/report/2000/06/02/fingers-bone/united-states-failure-protect-child-farmworkers.(Accessed:16thNovember2017)

4. Carroll,D.ChangingcharacteristicsofU.S.farmworkers.Availableat:https://migrationfiles.ucdavis.edu/uploads/cf/files/2011-may/carroll-changing-characteristics.pdf.(Accessed:23rdOctober2017)

5. MarshfieldClinicResearchInstitute.ChildhoodHealth&SafetyResources.Availableat:http://www.marshfieldresearch.org/nccrahs/recommendedresources.(Accessed:23rdOctober2017)

6. Kearney,G.D.,Rodriguez,G.,Quandt,S.A.,Arcury,J.T.&Arcury,T.A.WorkSafetyClimate,SafetyBehaviors,andOccupationalInjuriesofYouthFarmworkersinNorthCarolina.AmJPublicHealth105,1336–1343(2015).Availableathttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25521896

7. McCurdy,S.A.&Kwan,J.A.AgriculturalinjuryriskamongruralCaliforniapublichighschoolstudents:Prospectiveresults.Am.J.Ind.Med.55,631–642(2012).Availableathttps://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nioshtic-2/20041616.html

8. HumanRightsWatch.Tobacco’sHiddenChildren.(2014).Availableat:https://www.hrw.org/report/2014/05/13/tobaccos-hidden-children/hazardous-child-labor-united-states-tobacco-farming.(Accessed:25thOctober2017)

9. HumanRightsWatch.TeensoftheTobaccoFields.(2015).Availableat:https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/12/09/teens-tobacco-fields/child-labor-united-states-tobacco-farming.(Accessed:11thOctober2017)

10. UnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture.Agriculturalsafety:2009injuriestoyouthonfarms.(2012).Availableat:http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/ChilInju/ChilInju-04-05-2012_revision.pdf.(Accessed:16thNovember2017)

11. NationalChildren’sCenterforRuralandAgriculturalHealthandSafety.2012factsheet:ChildhoodagriculturalinjuriesintheU.S.(2012).Availableat:https://www3.marshfieldclinic.org/proxy///mcrf-centers-nfmc-nccrahs-childaginjuryfactsheet_april-2012.1.pdf.(Accessed:16thNovember2017)

12. BureauofLaborStatistics,U.S.D.ofL.CensusofFatalOccupationalInjuries:TableA-1.(2016).13. TeenFarmworker’sHeatDeathSparksOutcry.NPR.orgAvailableat:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91240378.(Accessed:23rdOctober2017)14. CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.Heat-RelatedDeathsAmongCropWorkers---UnitedStates,

1992--2006.Availableat:https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5724a1.htm.(Accessed:23rdOctober2017)

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15. May,J.OccupationalInjuryandIllnessinFarmworkersintheEasternUnitedStates.(2009).Availableat:https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-0-387-88347-2_4.(Accessed:16thNovember2017)

16. Arcury,T.,Grzywacz,J.,Barr,B.,Tapia,J.,Chen,H.,&Quandt,S.PesticideurinarymetabolitelevelsofchildrenineasternNorthCarolinafarmworkerhouseholds.(2007).Availableat: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17687456.(Accessed:16thNovember2017)

17. AmericanAcademyofPediatrics.PesticideExposureinChildren.Availableat:http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/6/e1757.(Accessed:16thNovember2017)

18. TheHarvest(LaCosecha)|ShineGlobal.Availableat:http://shineglobal.org/project/the-harvest/.(Accessed:17thNovember2017)

19. Cooper,S.,Weller,N.,Fox,E.,Cooper,S.R.,&Shipp,E.ComparativedescriptionofmigrantfarmworkersversusotherstudentsattendingSouthTexasschools:demographic,academic,andhealthcharacteristics.(2005).Availableat:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17236321.(Accessed:17thNovember2017)

20. U.S.DepartmentofLabor.ChildlaborrequirementsinagriculturaloccupationsundertheFairLaborStandardsAct.(2007).Availableat:https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/childlabor102.pdf.(Accessed:17thNovember2017)

21. U.S.DepartmentofLabor&WageandHourDivision.Factsheet#40:Overviewofyouthemployment(childlabor)provisionsoftheFairLaborStandardsAct(FLSA)foragriculturaloperations.(2016).Availableat:https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs40.pdf.(Accessed:17thNovember2017)

22. Wheeler,L.Democratswantchildrenofftobaccofarms.TheHill(2015).Availableat:http://thehill.com/regulation/239072-dem-bill-aims-to-protect-child-workers-on-tobacco-farms.(Accessed:25thOctober2017)

23. Party-LineVoteProtectsChildLaboratTobaccoFarmsinVirginia.Availableat:http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/jan/24/party-line-vote-protects-child-labor-tobacco-farms/.(Accessed:25thOctober2017)

24. OxfamAmerica.Likemachinesinthefields:WorkerswithoutrightsinAmericanagriculture.(2004).Availableat:https://www.oxfamamerica.org/static/media/files/like-machines-in-the-fields.pdf.(Accessed:17thNovember2017)