The Biden administration is stepping up its efforts to stop businesses from exploiting and using child labor.
The Department of Labour announced on Thursday that it would step up its efforts to combat child labour across the country. Along with using new strategies to increase child labour law enforcement and cooperating with other organisations and foreign governments. This follows recent investigations into significant businesses that were found to be hiring children. for longer than is permitted. Requiring minors to perform tasks that are against the law, or employing kids who are younger than the required age.
Rising Child Labor Cases Trigger Increased Enforcement
“Child labour is a subject that touches on the core of our sense of national identity. The acting secretary of labour, Julie Su, stated, “And who we want to be. Like the President, we think that having too many children working in dangerous or hazardous environments.
Wage and Hour Division of the department: increased enforcement of child labour laws. caused a 44% rise in the number of kids who were discovered to be working against the law between October 1, 2022, and July 20, 2023. Additionally, over the same time period, penalties like fines increased by 87%.
4,474 children were discovered to be working against the law in these ten months, incurring fines of $6.6 million. According to the department, the agency is investigating over 700 active child labour cases.
Other enforcement strategies include producing “Know Your Rights” videos. And adding more resources to the Wage and Hour Division website. Additionally collaborating with the Department of Education to better educate children about their rights.
This comes after the Interagency Task Force to Combat Child Labour Exploitation was announced by the department in February 2023. created in response to a 69% rise in findings of illegal child labour between 2018 and 2022.
McDonald’s Franchise Locations Face Child Labour Violations in Multiple States
Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, and Ohio, there are 62 McDonald’s franchise locations, according to a Labour Department announcement from May. Were discovered to have employed 305 kids for longer than their legally permitted hours and to have given them access to tasks that were inappropriate for children to perform. In Louisiana and Texas, there are sixteen more McDonald’s franchise locations. Were discovered to have violated child labour laws last week, affecting 83 children.
In 2022, it was discovered that nearly 700 kids were working illegally in dangerous jobs. The Wage and Hour Division reports that this year’s total is the highest since 2011.
The Department of Labor’s new strategies for limiting holding companies and child labour. Accountable are made at a time when several states, including Missouri, Ohio, and South Dakota, have proposed legislation that would loosen the restrictions on child labour. Several states have advocated paying young workers less than the minimum wage. Others have argued for expanding the range of jobs that 14 and 15-year-olds can hold.
