~Zama Coursen-Neff, Human Rights Watch
It’s been a minute since I wrote on this issue in “Hundreds of Thousands of Children” Are Working For Slave Wages in American Fields; if you haven’t read that – you should.
American children are working for large corporations picking your fruits and vegetables for slave wages sometimes as young as 6 or 7 in order to help their families put food on the table.
American children are working for large corporations picking your fruits and vegetables for slave wages sometimes as young as 6 or 7 in order to help their families put food on the table.
That’s not building character. That’s not earning a little extra income to learn personal responsibility. When someone says something like that – they’re either completely misinformed or they’re trying to misinform others via some “divide and conquer” poll tested statement. That argument is complete bullshit; it’s a fallacy. The only thing it does is sacrifice a child’s opportunity for a great life because they had to focus on picking some grapes instead of putting their head in some books.
NBC Bay Area did this great investigative report HERE:
NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit spent weeks penetrating the close-knit and tight-lipped community of migrant workers and found dozens of children working the fields in the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys – some who started work at 11-, 10- and even 8-years of age.
While an 8-year-old could not work in an office or fast-food restaurant, a 1938 law allows them to legally work in agriculture.
These children are working a full day in the fields picking, trimming and cultivating fresh fruits and vegetables. They often work 9 to10 hours a day in 100-degree-plus heat.