Report: Children at risk in agricultural work
May 1, 1998 2 minutes read
Report: Children at risk in agricultural work
Migrant workers at highest risk
A new report to Congress says children working in agriculture are legally permitted to work at younger ages, in more hazardous occupations, and for longer periods of time than their peers in other industries. The children often are injured and may be at higher risk of fatal accidents, the report says.
The report was prepared by the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, at the request of Rep. Tom Lantos, (D-CA). It criticizes the lack of enforcement from government agencies responsible for policing working conditions in the agricultural industry.
The GAO report estimates that as many as 155,000 children, ages 15 to 17, are working in agriculture - many of them illegally. That figure may be low since the data are "likely to undercount migrant populations, those who do not live in established residences and those who do not have telephones - conditions that apply to many farm workers," the report says. The GAO report says the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division spent only 6% of its total direct enforcement hours in fiscal 1997 to child labor detection in all industries. About 15% of inspections were devoted to agriculture.
The report also addressed injuries among child workers. Investigators found that child agriculture workers may be injured at a lower rate than in other industries, but the children "may suffer a disproportionate number of fatalities."
The report also raised concerns about exposure to pesticides, which may pose special risks to children because the long-term effects are not completely known.
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