On Monday (February 27), the Biden administration announced initiatives to address the country’s “alarming” growth in child labor. The number of illegally employed children has increased by two-thirds since 2018. This increase in child labor has coincided with a significant migration of unaccompanied minors fleeing poverty and conflict in South America. In only the previous fiscal year, 130,000 children were sent to US government shelters.
“This is not a 19th-century problem — this is a today problem,” Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said in a statement, calling for a massive mobilization of resources to address the issue.
“We need Congress to come to the table, we need states to come to the table.”
The Department of Labor identified 835 companies that employed 3800 youngsters in violation of the law during the previous fiscal year. There was a 26% increase in the number of minors hired particularly for dangerous employment.
To try to slow the growth, the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, which is in charge of unaccompanied kids entering the country, will organize a task force to strengthen information exchange between the two agencies.
A parallel Labor Department project will focus on improving the enforcement of existing laws, particularly in high-crime areas and industries.
The department also promised to hold corporations accountable if it was discovered that contractors and temp agencies were utilizing child labor.
“Too often, companies look the other way and claim that their staffing agency or their subcontractor or supplier is responsible,” Walsh was quoted as saying. The highest fine for violating child labor regulations under current legislation is $15,138 per case.