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Wal-Mart in child labor scandal
Walmart, the world's largest retailer, is embroiled in a child labor scandal in the United States, after children as young as five were found working on a farm that supplies blueberries to the company.
The revelations came as federal authorities said spot checks on farms in the state of Michigan found that more than half were violating child labor or migrant housing rules.
Human rights groups have stepped up their calls for a clampdown on agricultural businesses
, where they say children are routinely exploited. Poor families put their children to work to make ends meet, while agriculture bosses, struggling to meet supermarkets' relentless demands for lower-priced goods, are turning a blind eye, campaigners say.
Walmart and two other supermarket chains said they were suspending dealings with Adkin Blue Ribbon Packing Co, the Michigan-based supplier at the heart of the latest scandal. Walmart will not buy anything from Adkin "pending the outcome of an investigation by our ethical sourcing team", a company spokesman said.