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

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.