#child-labor

#child-labor

California officials said they are launching new enforcement actions to protect underage farmworkers, including enhanced coordination among two state agencies charged with inspecting work conditions in the fields. The actions follow an investigation by Capital & Main, produced in partnership with the Los Angeles Times and McGraw Center for Business Journalism, which found that the state is failing to protect underage farmworkers who labor in harsh and dangerous circumstances.

Hundreds of thousands of times each year in California, farmers and their contractors spray pesticides on fields and orchards in the state's agricultural heartlands. Farmworkers young and old can be exposed to dangerous concentrations of toxic chemicals if they are not properly trained, left uninformed about when they can safely enter sprayed fields or exposed to pesticide applications - because of factors such as wind drift or operator error.

Jose, a quiet 14-year-old, was squatting and bending over for hours with other workers in a sprawling strawberry field. The pickers, many of them also minors, snapped berries from plants and placed them in plastic cartons, eight of them in a cardboard box. They moved quickly along the long rows that lined the field. Jose was exhausted but working as fast as he could; he was being paid $2.40 for each box he filled.

With Halloween approaching, many of our readers want to avoid contributing to the problem of childhood obesity in America-approximately 1 in 5 U.S. children and adolescents now have obesity-or child labor on cacao plantations around the world. Recent reports show that 1.56 million children are engaged in child labor on cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, which together produce nearly 60% of the world's cocoa.

Tony's Chocolonely didn't just stumble into global fame. Its bold, paper wrappers and oversized, cartoony logo are instantly recognizable on any store shelf, enticing customers to take a bite through the company's meticulous approach to its design. And beyond the packaging, the Dutch brand boasts a subtle, often-overlooked detail within the chocolate itself. No, it's not just that it's delicious ( and not even remotely overrated).

"The employment of individuals under the age of 21 in the cannabis industry is strictly illegal, a serious matter, and is not tolerated."

The raid on a California cannabis farm by ICE involved smoke grenades and rubber bullets as protests erupted, leading to multiple arrests and claims about child labor.

The tragic collision in Egypt highlights the dangers faced by underage labourers, particularly in overcrowded minibuses, an issue that has persisted for years.

California's current procurement system is turning a blind eye to labor trafficking and forced labor, risking taxpayer dollars going towards abusive labor practices.