Child Labour In The USA

Stories abound about the exploitation of young children in Asia and Africa but this story is from the USA. 'Children as young as 7 years old are suffering serious health problem from toiling long hours in tobacco fields to harvest pesticide-laced leaves for major cigarette brands, according to a report released Wednesday. New York City based advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) interviewed more than 140 youngsters working on tobacco farms in North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, where most American tobacco is sourced.' (Time Magazine, 14 May) The report goes on say that HRW is asking the tobacco firms to introduce legislation to curb this use of children but as the global tobacco industry generates annual revenues of around $500 billion there is little chance of that happening. RD