Picking apples, North Carolina. Child farmworkers risk pesticide poisoning, heat illnesses, injuries and life-long disabilities. A report from Human Rights Watch documents the failure of the US government to protect children working in agriculture. Human Rights Watch interviewed children who worked ten hours a day at age twelve, and others working twelve or more hours a day at age fourteen, sometimes beginning at 3 or 4 a.m. Child farmworkers are routinely exposed to dangerous pesticides, suffering rashes, headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. Long-term consequences of pesticide poisoning include cancer and brain damage.
Children working in agriculture suffer a high rate of injuries from knives and heavy equipment.
An estimated 100,000 children suffer agriculture-related injuries annually in the United States. Some interviewed by Human Rights Watch reported earnings as little as two dollars an hour. Girls are routinely subjected to sexual advances by farm labor contractors and field supervisors. Many do not speak English, do not know that sexual harassment is illegal, and fear losing their jobs or other retaliation if they report the abuse. Long hours of work interfere with the education of children working in the fields.