Is it just me? Or wasn't the issue of child labor supposed to
have been laid to rest back in our country's ancient history? (read:
before my time, way before) Actually, it was in 1938 with the
passing of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Ask 10-year-old Salvador Velasquez, who accidentally ran over and killed his 2-year-old little brother Ruben while driving a truck in the Florida orange grove where their family works.
Current child labor laws allow children as young as 10
to work during non-school hours on farms owned or operated by their
parents or with their parent's written consent on farms in
non-hazardous jobs. They are specifically prohibited from such
hazardous activities as operating a motor vehicle, operating
meat-packing equipment, coal mining, or operating power
equipment. But still! 10! In non-agricultural jobs,
the minimum age is 14.
Nearly
300 children die every year across the nation in a farm-related
accident. To my mind, that is exactly 300 too many.
Tragically, two bills "which would have tightened child labor laws", The
Youth Worker Protection Act and Children's Act for Responsible
Employment,
quietly expired in the 109th Congress on Dec. 31.
I can only surmise that Ruben and Salvador's parent's neither
were informed about child labor laws (such as they are) nor did they
provide written consent to allow Salvador to work with them in the
grove, where he had been driving that same truck since he was 8.
That's 8. Years. Old. Eight. Driving. I am trying to
wrap my brain around this triple tragedy: the one of a little boy whose
life has been taken from him and his family practically before it
began; the second tragedy of an older boy who never had a chance
for a childhood; and the third of a family who likely needed the income
from having all their children work and who didn't know that it was
against the law. How many other children like Salvador Velasquez
are out there?
