CBS News found children in Ghana as young as 5 years old using machetes nearly as big as themselves to harvest the cocoa beans that end up in some of America's most-loved chocolates like M&Ms and Snickers. Debora Patta reports.
Youths 12 and 13 years of age may work outside of school hours in non-hazardous jobs on farms that also employ >their parent(s) or with written parental consent.
Youths under 12 years of age may work outside of school hours in non-hazardous jobs with parental consent, but >only on farms where none of the employees are subject to the minimum wage requirements of the FLSA.
Local youths 10 and 11 may hand harvest short-season crops outside school hours for no more than 8 weeks >between June 1 and October 15 if their employers have obtained special waivers from the Secretary of Labor.
That is USA federal labor laws for agriculture and children. What the fuck is the USA on about now ? Something something child labor ?
That law basically means that family farms can pay children to do some chores on the farm. Factory farms don't get to skirt minimum wage laws.
My grandfather owns a small sheep farm in Pennsylvania, which is why I know this. Generally I don't think it's a problem to have children doing chores for money, just have to be sure those chores are safe. A 10 year old would never be in with the animals for example, but would be a great help for collecting firewood or putting water out in another pasture or what have you.
Imo this isn't really comparable to other child labor and it's most often done by a kid that wants a new video game or what have you.
But the laws in Ghana aren't meaningfully different either. Most children work on family cocoa farms. It's just that they often can't afford to limit the kid's tasks to the basics.
But the laws in Ghana aren't meaningfully different either. Most children work on family cocoa farms. It's just that they often can't afford to limit the kid's tasks to the basics.