"Over 100 Children Taken to Slaughterhouse Facilities for Exploitation"… US Concerns Over 'Child Labor Crisis'

Helmet and Protective Gear Two-Shift Night 'Child Labor' Overwork
100 Children Illegally Employed at Slaughterhouse Facility
Due to Relaxed Labor Regulations for Immigrants

A beef slaughterhouse facility in Nebraska, USA, was exposed for illegally employing 100 child workers, shocking American society. There are claims that the number of child laborers employed in this manner across the United States could exceed 250,000. Some are even reflecting that American society is 'regressing' to the Industrial Revolution era of the 18th century.

According to the US 'CBS' broadcast on the 7th (local time), the US Department of Labor recently fined the Nebraska beef slaughterhouse facility for illegally employing about 100 child workers.

Child laborers at a beef slaughterhouse in Nebraska, USA, revealed by CBS News' '60 Minutes' account. [Image source=CBS Twitter]

The Department of Labor also provided the media with some photos of children actually working at the facility. In the photos, two children wearing thick protective clothing, helmets, goggles, and gloves are standing inside the slaughterhouse.

The media reported that the facility was filled with acidic chemicals and that "there were also reports of children suffering burns." Among the child laborers working at the slaughterhouse was a child as young as 13 years old.

Local netizens who saw the photos reacted with shock, saying, "This is shocking," and "I can't believe such things are happening openly in the heart of America." Some expressed cynical responses like, "Is this country going back to the Industrial Revolution era?"

Teenagers Working Two Shifts and Night Shifts

In 2018, a caravan of Central and South American immigrants attempting to enter the United States through the southern border stayed in Tijuana, a border area in Mexico. Many of the child laborers are children who crossed into the United States from Central and South America without their parents.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The 'child labor crisis' has recently become a hot topic in American society. Earlier, the US media 'The New York Times' (NYT) conducted an in-depth investigation into child employment in the US through an investigative report in February. According to the article at that time, young children who came to the US from Central America without their parents become targets of illegal child employers.

These children are placed in dangerous manufacturing sites that most American workers avoid. Among the children interviewed by the NYT reporter were a 13-year-old boy working two shifts in production and a 12-year-old girl working night shifts at an auto parts factory.

NYT estimated, based on various data, that the number of illegally employed child laborers in the US currently approaches 250,000. Many of the facilities where they work are owned by brands well known not only in the US but worldwide.

NYT criticized, saying, "Children work for companies like Cheetos, Cheerios, and Ford," and "These jobs originally belonged to undocumented adult workers. Now, they are shifting to undocumented child laborers."

"Not Just a Problem in Some States but a National Movement"… Concerns Over the 'Child Labor Crisis'

So, what is the reason for the sudden surge in illegal child employment in the US? Experts point out that recently relaxed labor regulations targeting immigrants are adversely affecting child protection provisions.

After experiencing severe job shortages following the COVID-19 pandemic, some US state governments such as Ohio, Missouri, and Iowa passed bills easing immigrant labor regulations. The problem is that these bills also included provisions to increase working hours for teenagers. Compared to adults, children are relatively vulnerable and face the risk of exploitation by employers when labor regulations are relaxed.

Regarding this, the 'Washington Post' (WP) expressed concern, stating, "Even in Iowa, much of the state regulations protecting child laborers are disappearing," and "This is not just a problem limited to some states but a national trend. There is a movement across the country to relax child labor protection provisions."