Exploitative child labor in the US impossible to ignore- FreedomUnited.org
Donate

Exploitative child labor in the US: “real, rising and impossible to ignore”

  • Published on
    June 20, 2025
  • Category:
    Child labor violations, Law & Policy
Hero Banner

The US government recently eliminated funding for international child labor enforcement. This comes at a crucial time in the evolution of child labor protections in the US broadly. Amid rising child labor violations, Best Lawyers reports there is a divide currently taking place across the nation as states like Pennsylvania increase penalties for violations other states, such as Florida, are rolling back protections that have stood for decades.  

Fines for child labor violations “cost of doing business”  

Child labor protection has traditionally been a bipartisan issue in the US. However, over the last few years there has been a dramatic shift. And coupled with a sharp rise in child labor violations, that shift has labor advocates and child welfare organizations sounding the alarm. Pennsylvania recently took legislative action in response to both the national and state level increases in violations. The proposed changes would double existing penalties while keeping restrictions on hours and types of work the same. It is hoped the change will serve as both a deterrent and a justification for enhanced oversight. 

Representative Regina Young, who introduced the bill said: 

“Our highest duty as legislators should be to protect our most vulnerable people who are unable to protect themselves, especially our children. Child labor violations are still too common in our state, with too many employers chalking it up to ‘the cost of doing business.’ That is straight up exploitation and unacceptable.” 

If the bill passes it means Pennsylvania would join a small group of states moving to strengthen child labor protections. Representative Young pointed out that in her state, the fines have remained the same for over a decade while violations have only expanded and increased. Labeled “timely and legally significant”, the bill passed the House with bipartisan support and now heads to the Senate. If it is signed into law, it would give regulators greater leverage against violators.  It also sends a message to employers that compliance isn’t optional. 

Risking the health and well-being of Florida youth  

In Florida, recent legislation aims to weaken longstanding protections for teens. Despite federal investigations into underage workers in hazardous jobs, Florida lawmakers are moving to pass a bill that reverses progress, unlike Pennsylvania. The bill would lift limits on minors’ working hours during the school year and allow them to take on more dangerous jobs before deemed appropriate. Supporters argue that current laws hinder teens from gaining valuable work experience and helping with family income. However, the Florida Policy Institute warns that these proposed changes could pose greater risks to teens’ health and safety.

In his article for the organization Alexis Tsoukalas writes: 

“Florida must not further erode protections and instead should prioritize policies to strike the necessary balance between gaining work experience and education to become economically stable in the long term. Work experience is important; however, it should not endanger youth’s health, education, and mental well-being.” 

Supporters of the Florida legislation are calling it a “modernization” of the current protections. However, labor advocates and child welfare organizations see it as part of a broader trend of deregulation in the US. A trend that puts young workers at risk—especially in industries with a history of exploitation. 

The message is the same across all jurisdictions 

These recent state rollback measures should be understood alongside recent reductions in international child labor protections enforcement programs. About $50 million was quietly cut from the Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) in March.

Funding that had been in place for over two decades and that went towards supporting global initiatives to prevent child labor in agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and other high-risk sectors. Tragically, as more and more protections disappear at the national level, international oversight has also vaporized. 

Bryan Driscol for Best Lawyers writes: 

“Relying on outdated policies or assuming compliance will sort itself out is no longer an option. The message is the same across all jurisdictions: child labor risk is real, rising, and impossible to ignore.” 

In the past, the US played a leadership role in combating child exploitation domestically and abroad. The recent ILAB funding cuts undermine the ability of companies with global supply chains to document and mitigate child labor and forced labor risk. The loss of US funding for audits means much of the monitoring infrastructure simply disappears. Freedom United has joined the call to US states in the process of passing legislation weakening child labor protections to stop!

Add your voice to the growing demand that every jurisdiction in the US promote progressive legislation that protects child workers’ rights and enforces child labor laws and regulations. 

Subscribe

Freedom United is interested in hearing from our community and welcomes relevant, informed comments, advice, and insights that advance the conversation around our campaigns and advocacy. We value inclusivity and respect within our community. To be approved, your comments should be civil.

stop icon A few things we do not tolerate: comments that promote discrimination, prejudice, racism, or xenophobia, as well as personal attacks or profanity. We screen submissions in order to create a space where the entire Freedom United community feels safe to express and exchange thoughtful opinions.

Notify of
guest
500


4 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Juan José
Juan José
19 days ago

It is a shame that all over the world profits for big or small companies alike are becoming not only more important than people’s rights, but even the only criterium for determining whether a certain policy or decision is an option. Earning money is fast replacing moral values in all private and public spheres, to the point that honoring commercial contracts with Russia or Israel is more important than stopping payments to governments that violate human rights in such a blatant manner.

Joan MacDonald
Joan MacDonald
18 days ago

Let’s not return to exploitive history including child labor, Children must continue to be protected from inappropriate labor without exception.

Joy Ruth
Joy Ruth
18 days ago

It is entirely unacceptable to put young people at greater risk by reducing audits that monitor employers treatment of young employees.

P. R. Sturm
P. R. Sturm
18 days ago

The ultra-wealthy and corrupt corporations have no ethics or empathy and consider children that aren’t white or are from poor families subhuman. If their own kids don’t meet their standards or if they show signs of ethics they throw them away like trash. I met hundreds of “throw-away-kids” homeless and hopeless in San Francisco and Los Angeles in the 60s and 70s. The only way to stop them is to impose fines that are percentages of their gross annual income and percentages of their assets.

This week

Jury awards $40 million to sex trafficking survivor at Georgia hotel

A federal jury has awarded $40 million to a survivor of sex trafficking who was repeatedly sexually exploited at a Georgia hotel when she was just 16 years old. The verdict marks a significant milestone in holding hotels accountable under a federal anti-trafficking law. The survivor, identified in court only as J.G., received $10 million in compensatory damages and $30 million in punitive damages. The decision was against Northbrook Industries, Inc.,

| Monday July 14, 2025

Read more