Fields of Peril
May 5, 2010

Fields of Peril

Child Labor in US Agriculture

Maria M.
Marcos S.
I. Summary and Key Recommendations
Key Recommendations
II. Methodology
III. Child Farmworkers in the United States
IV. The Youngest Workers
Why Children Work
V. Exploitation: Wages and Hours
Excessive Working Hours
Earning Less than the Minimum Wage
VI. Education and Farmwork
VII. Health and Safety
Work with Dangerous Machinery, Equipment, and Tools
Repetitive Motion Injuries
Pressure to Work Fast, Sick, and Injured
Pesticide Exposure
Extreme Temperatures: Heat and Cold
Sanitation
Green Tobacco Sickness
Access to Health Care
Sexual Harassment and Violence
VIII. Vulnerability of Child Workers Due to Immigration Status
IX. The United States Government’s Failure to Protect Farmworker Children
Fair Labor Standards Act
Children’s Act for Responsible Employment (CARE): Closing the Legal Loophole
Failure to Ensure Adequate Minimum Age, Maximum Hour, and Minimum Wage Protections: the US Department of Labor
Failure to Protect Children’s Health and Safety
X. International Legal Obligations
ILO Convention on Worst Forms of Child Labor
Convention on the Rights of the Child
Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
XI. Detailed Recommendations
To the United States Congress
To the United States Department of Labor
To Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
To the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
To the United States Department of Education
To All States
Acknowledgments