Description

What many believe is a thing of the past is in fact an ever-growing crisis, with life and death consequences for children across the US.

In a wave of rollbacks, at least 10 states have passed laws to restrict child labor protections in the last couple of years. Today, children as young as 13 are working grueling jobs that put their health, safety, and development at risk — in meatpacking plants, warehouses, and tobacco fields instead of schools. Migrant children especially are at risk of being exploited. Many arrive in the US without parents or guardians, lacking legal protections or a support system. These children are often funneled into the most dangerous sectors of the labor market, where oversight is weak and accountability is rare. Over the last several years, there have been numerous reports about children being seriously injured or killed working in incredibly dangerous conditions.

Join the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on Wednesday, November 19, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Eastern time on Zoom, to explore how we arrived at the current landscape of child labor; what it means in the current context; and how we can protect children moving forward and explore what policymakers, child advocates, and labor advocates can do to address weakening child protections. 

This event is part of our Opportunity in America conversation series. Speakers will be announced soon.

Opening Remarks

Yesenia Cuello

Co-founder,

NC Field 

Bio

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Speakers

Ron Estrada

Chief Executive Officer,

Farmworker Justice

Bio

Reid Maki

Director, Child Labor Advocacy,

National Consumers League

Bio

Jennifer Sherer

Director, State Worker Power Initiative,

Economic Policy Institute

Bio

Charlie Wishman

President, Iowa Federation of Labor,

AFL-CIO

Bio