New York, March 2. The state of New York announced this Thursday new measures to combat cases of illegal child labor after complaints in this area increased by 68% in 2022, a phenomenon that is being seen throughout the United States and that mainly affects minors. migrants.
The state governor, the Democrat Kathy Hochul, explained in a statement that she is going to create a working group that will be in charge of coordinating schools and municipalities, among other institutions, to guarantee that children, parents, and employers are adequately aware of their rights and responsibilities. .
In addition, Hochul said that he will extend an information campaign that began this year and that he will work with companies in sectors such as hospitality, construction or agriculture, among others, to protect young workers and educate employees about their labor rights and detect cases of exploitation.
In this sense, the governor also announced the creation of a unit in charge of responding to possible cases of forced labor, a problem that especially affects young people from disadvantaged communities.
“We all have a moral responsibility to protect our children and act against exploitative labor practices,” Hochul said.
In New York, minors are authorized to work from the age of 14, but with limitations on the type of jobs and tasks they can perform or their shifts and hours.
During the past year, the authorities identified hundreds of cases of child employment in the state that fell outside these categories and therefore involved a violation of labor standards, with an increase of 68% compared to 2021, and imposed numerous economic sanctions. to responsible companies.
The measures announced today come after the United States Department of Labor this week reported that the illegal use of child labor has increased by 69% since 2018 in the country as a whole and also released measures to combat exploitation. labor of minors, many of them immigrants and most of them Latin Americans.
Also after last weekend The New York Times reported in a report that many migrant minors who arrived in the US without the company of their parents end up doing jobs that nobody wants in very harsh conditions.
Specifically, the newspaper spoke with more than 100 migrant minors in 20 states who work in slaughterhouses in Delaware, Mississippi and North Carolina; as roofers in Florida and Tennessee; or as night-shift lumber sawyers in South Dakota.
