Nearly all types of child labor happen in the U.S., whether it is agriculture, factory work, or even sexual slavery. Dept bondage and garbage work are very rare forms of child labor in the U.S. Most child laborers in the U.S. work on farms out in the west. According to a Human Rights Watch report, over half of interviewed farm workers worked in a recently sprayed field and a third had been sprayed themselves. Also the workers are commonly beaten, whipped, and threatened for low quality work.
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), in the small town of Augila, Arizona, the only work is for Matori, a large cantaloupe farm. HRW interviewed two girls who showed them their home, provided by Matori. After the interview, Matori threatened that the girls’ parents could be taken to court for talking to HRW. Also, farm owners do not provide water which is required by law. Instead, the owners sell soda and beer for $1.00 to $1.50. The child laborers are rarely, if ever educated. Frank Zamudio of the Arizona Department of Agriculture’s Pesticide Worker Safety program had to threaten to get a search warrant before he was allowed onto Pavich Farms, a large organic grape grower.
Around 10,000 child sex slaves are smuggled into the U.S., in large cities like Los Angeles and New York. If these slaves try to escape, they are beaten, raped, or killed. These children are not paid like a prostitute but are actual slaves. The children are sold for $10,000-$30,000. These girls and boys are smuggled from Europe, Eastern Russia, and Mexico. The border guard is very weak, so these slaves get into the U.S. with promises of a better life yet are then forced into slavery. The owners make up to $30,000 a week from each slave, so it is a very profitable business.
In other parts of the world, sweat shops are a large problem. In the U.S., only a small number of children work in factories, where the danger of injury is extremely high.
Read more about what child laborers do by clicking here.
