United States: The United States government has announced measures to prevent child labour in the country amid a surge in violations and news reports stating the illegal employment of minors belonging to refugees and migrants in dangerous industries.

The officials remarked that the Department of Labor had found a nearly 70 percent increase in child labour violations since 2018, with 835 companies found to have violated child labour laws in the last fiscal year alone.

The statement added that US President Joe Biden’s administration is investigating the employment of children at companies, including Hearthside Food Solutions and suppliers to Hyundai Motor.

In order to deal with the problem, a joint task force by the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services, which are responsible for unaccompanied minors arriving in the country, will seek to improve information sharing between the two agencies.

A parallel initiative by the Department of Labor will aim at better enforcement of existing laws, especially in regions and industries where offences are most common.

“This is not a 19th-century problem. This is a today problem,” Labor Secretary Mr. Marty Walsh commented, calling for a massive mobilisation of resources to address the issue.

US federal law prohibits people under age 16 from working in most factory settings, and those under 18 are barred from the most dangerous jobs in industrial plants. According to existing laws, the maximum fine for breaking child labour laws is $15,138 per case.

WORLD ROUNDUP: Financial viability of many countries is being threatened by unsustainable debt; Modi