Entries by Reid Maki

Advocates Protest Uzbekistan’s Use of Forced Child Labor

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It’s not every day that you get your message through to one of the world’s most notorious dictators, but some of us in the child labor advocacy community think we may have just done that last week during New York City’s Fashion Week. For several years, the Child Labor Coalition, 28 organizations working to end the labor exploitation of children around the world, has been deeply concerned about the forced use of child labor in Uzbekistan, where Islam Karimov has ruled with an iron fist for 21 years. Each fall, Uzbek school children and their teachers are forced to leave their classrooms and perform arduous hand-harvesting of cotton for up to two months. The children—estimates of their numbers range from several hundred thousand to almost two million—receive little or no pay and often perform this back-breaking work from young childhood and through college. The workers are charged for shelter and food and by the time those expenses are deducted their compensation is so small it would be fair to say they worked for little or no pay or “slave wages.” The profits of this labor tend to flow to Uzbekistan’s ruling elite. Unlike child labor in most countries, Uzbekistan’s occurs as a result of national policy filtered down to local government authorities.

Disney Factory Faces Probe into Sweatshop Suicide Claims

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guardian.co.uk Human rights campaigners say Chinese factories using children as young as 14 and that workers forced to do overtime A Sturdy Products’ employee works to fulfill orders, for ranges that include Disney ­merchandise. But a monitoring group claims that workers’ rights are often abused Disney’s best-selling Cars toys are being made in a factory in China that uses child labor and forces staff to do three times the amount of overtime allowed by law, according to an investigation. One worker reportedly killed herself after being repeatedly shouted at by bosses. Others cited worries over poisonous chemicals. Disney has now launched its own investigation. It is claimed some of the 6,000 employees have to work an extra 120 hours every month to meet demand from western shops for the latest toys. The factory, called Sturdy Products, makes toys for the giant Mattel Company, which last month announced quarterly profits of £48m on the back of strong sales of Barbie dolls and Cars 2 toys. Sturdy Products, in the city of Shenzhen, also makes toys for US superstore chain Wal-Mart. Among the brands produced are the Thomas the Tank Engine range, Matchbox cars, Cars, Toy Story, Barbie and Fisher Price products, Scrabble and the Hot Wheels sets. The undercover investigation was carried out with the help of human rights group Sacom […]

Social: Poverty in Shirak Province Hampers Struggle Against Illegal Child Labor

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ArmeniaNow  —  Poor social and economic conditions in Shirak – Armenia’s most impoverished region – hamper the struggle against child labor. Government officials, representatives of local authorities and regional administrations say efforts against the human rights reality are not effective since the conditions prompting child labor still remain. Karine Grigoryan, deputy director of Child Day Care Center in Gyumri, says poverty is the major driving force that prompts children to work. “Hardship forces children to go out to work, and consequently, in case children don’t get a chance to receive education, then tomorrow they will live in poverty anyway,” she said. According to National Statistics Service figures, Shirak region had the highest unemployment rates last year. “There is a family that lives on 18,000 drams ($50) a month. They spend this sum in one week and go hungry the rest of the time. We give allowances for children for their transportation costs, but they buy bread with the money. Then they wait until the end of the month and receive money again. A child from this family used to be a beggar before,” Grigoryan said. Labour market analysis conducted in Armenia last year, shows adolescents aged 15-19 years composed 1.2 per cent of the workforce. In reality, teen employment rates are often hidden. Hasmik Sargsyan, head of Little Prince Day […]

Afghanistan vows to “set standards” on Child Labor in Mines

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By Michelle Nichols KABUL (Reuters) – For around $2 a day some Afghan children as young as 10 work long hours in the country’s coal mines with no safety gear and, until now, no government mining policy to protect them. While national law allows Afghan children to work up to 35 hours a week from the age of 14, they are not allowed to do hazardous jobs such as mining. But after 30 years of conflict and with many children the sole family breadwinners, aid and rights groups say the laws are flouted and not enforced. As Afghanistan tries to attract foreign investors to develop an estimated $3 trillion worth of untapped mineral deposits, Mines Minister Wahidullah Shahrani has been working to expand and clean up the industry and has drafted a policy officially setting the minimum age for coal mine workers at 18. “We drafted the first-ever social policy guidelines to make sure that when it comes to the labor force, and when it comes to health and safety, and most importantly on the issue of child labor, we will have some type of standards,” he told Reuters. “Previously we did not have any official policy at the Ministry of Mines.” The guidelines are due to be implemented in the next few months and mining inspectors would be employed to ensure the […]

Kremlin Boys Still Critical

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By Robert Barron, Staff WriterEnid News and Eagle ENID — Two Kremlin youths caught in a grain auger remain in critical condition Sunday at OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City. Tyler Zander and Bryce Gannon, both 17, were seriously injured Thursday morning when they were pulled into a large grain auger at Zaloudek Grain Co. They were extricated from the auger by emergency responders and flown to OU Medical Center, where they were listed in critical condition Sunday, according to a hospital spokeswoman. A 911 call was received at about 9:10 a.m. from another worker who was in the same building where the two teens were trapped. The boys were taken from the building at about 10:30 a.m. and flown to the hospital. Kremlin Fire Chief Derrick Harris said the boys went straight to surgery upon arrival. The two were caught by their legs while working in the auger, and rescue workers had to cut the auger before Gannon and Zander could be removed. The incident is under investigation by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. Administration officials said the result could take up to six months to complete. There have been no previous violations at Zaloudek Grain Co. Through mutual-aid agreements, Kremlin received assistance from Breckinridge, Enid, Hillsdale-Carrier, Hunter and Pond Creek fire departments in the incident. Garfield County […]

Police Arrest Ex-Maoist Child Soldiers in Nepal

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AFP KATHMANDU – At least 40 former Maoist child soldiers, freed last year from camps, were detained Monday during a protest to demand better training to help them reintegrate into civilian life, police said. They were among more than 4,000 minors who had served in the Maoist army during Nepal’s decade-long civil war and were discharged from UN-supervised camps last year after officials discovered they had been underage combatants. “We detained the young people because they were blocking vehicles in public places. Around 100 protesters had gathered,” Kathmandu police chief Kedar Rijal told AFP. Under the discharge scheme, the former child soldiers were supposed to undergo a government training program funded by the United Nations. The program aimed to provide the young people with a choice of formal schooling, vocational training in such areas as tailoring, education to become health workers and help in setting up small businesses. But the protesters said the training had left them “only half-skilled”. “We can’t re-integrate into the society because we still face a stigma. We’re not properly trained for any job. The government must provide us with a long-term solution,” Krishna Prasad Dangal told AFP. “We are only half-skilled,” he said. Police did not say when they expected to release the young people. The fate of the more than 19,000 older former Maoist […]

Washington Berry Farms Fined for Hiring Kids 6 and Up

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By Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. Labor Department has fined three Washington state strawberry farms a total of $73,000 for employing children as young as 6 years old as pickers. The department’s Portland, Ore., office says Thursday the violations include failing to maintain proof-of-age records and pay minimum wage. A total of nine underage workers were found during a child labor investigation in June at farms in Woodland, Wash., and Ridgefield, Wash. The department says all three employers removed the underage workers and agreed to attend wage and hour training for the next three years. Information from: The Daily News, https://www.tdn.com

Woodland Berry Farm Fined for using Child Labor

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By Marqise Allen / The Daily News  Owners of a Woodland berry farm were fined $16,000 for employing two children under the age of eleven by the U.S. Department of Labor. Columbia Fruit LLC was caught using child labor during a weekend investigation June 25, according to agency officials. This is the company’s first violation discovered by the Department of Labor. “Agricultural employment is particularly dangerous for children, and the rules of their employment must be followed,” said Jeff Genkos, director of the federal Wage and Hour Division’s Portland District Office. Representatives from Columbia Fruit did not return phone calls for comment. Under Washington law, restrictions are placed on employees aged 12 to 15. Genkos said child labor violations are not a common occurrence in Southwest Washington. However, two berry farms in Ridgefield were also cited for using underage workers. One of the children at the farms was 6 years old. The agency is expected to ramp up weekend investigations and prohibit farms from shipping berries that were picked using child labor to curb future violations. Repeat offenders can face larger monetary penalties, Genkos said. Read more: https://tdn.com/news/local/31aa961c-befd-11e0-9e0b-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1UBUN2uxb

New Child Labor Laws Expand Work Hours

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[Waunakee Tribune] Tyler Lamb Regional Reporter By Tyler Lamb Regional Reporter A provision inserted within Gov. Scott Walker’s biennium budget revised Wisconsin’s child labor laws July 1, effectively expanding the hours 16- and 17-year-olds can work. The state’s child labor laws now mirror federal regulations, but is it a wise idea? Critics contend the change weakens labor laws and makes sure employers don’t have to pay a living wage. Proponents challenge the measure will provide employers with the flexibility they need to stamp out the confusion between state and federal regulations. Last month, a provision was placed into the governor’s budget bill by Joint Finance Committee co-chairs Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester) without a public hearing. The measure was later approved along party lines by the Republican-controlled Legislature. Under the old rules, minors could not work more than 32 hours on partial school weeks; 26 hours during a full school week and no more than 50 hours during weeks with no classes. The new law no longer limits either the daily or weekly hours, or the time of day minors may work. The measure also repealed a state law which prevented 16- and 17-year-olds from working more than six days a week. Teens of all ages are still banned from working during school hours.

107 Groups Endorse the Children’s Act for Responsible Employment (CARE), which would extend child labor protections to many children working in U.S. agriculture.

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The Children’s Act for Responsible Employment [CARE has been reintroduced as H.R. 2234 in the current session of Congress] The CARE Act  has been endorsed by the following 107 organizations: Action for Children North Carolina; AFL-CIO; Alliance for Justice; American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee; American Association of University Women; American Federation of Teachers; American Rights at Work; America’s Promise Alliance; Amnesty International USA; Asian American Justice Center; Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance; Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs; Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers  International Union; Bon Appétit Management Company; California Human Development; California Institute for Rural Studies; California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation; Calvert Group Ltd.; Center for Community Change; Change to Win; Child Labor Coalition; Coalition of Immokalee Workers; Coalition of Labor Union Women; Children’s Alliance, Washington State; Communications Workers of America; Covenant with North Carolina’s Children; Dialogue on Diversity; East Coast Migrant Head Start Project; El Centro Latino of Western North Carolina; Farmworker Advocacy Network [North Carolina]; Farm Labor Organizing Committee; Farmworker Association of Florida; Farmworker Justice; First Focus Campaign for Children; Food Chain Workers Alliance; Galen Films; Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network; General Federation of Women’s Clubs; Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities; Hispanic Federation; Honest Tea; Human Rights Watch; Interfaith Worker Justice; International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers; International Brotherhood of the Teamsters; International Initiative to […]