US: Child farmworkers' dangerous lives

The United States is failing to protect hundreds of thousands of children engaged in often grueling and dangerous farmwork, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Human Rights Watch called on Congress to amend federal law that permits children under age 18 to work for hire in agriculture at far younger ages, for far longer hours, and in far more hazardous conditions than in any other industry. In its 99-page report, "Fields of Peril: Child Labor in US Agriculture," Human Rights Watch found that child farmworkers risked their safety, health, and education on commercial farms across the United States. For the report, Human Rights Watch interviewed 59 children under age 18 who had worked as farmworkers in 14 states in various regions of the United States. "The United States is a developing country when it comes to child farmworkers," said Zama Coursen-Neff, author of the report and deputy director of the Children's Rights Division at Human Rights Watch. "Children who pick America's food should at least have the same protections as those who serve it."