And the conditions supporting the resurgence of child labor exist not only in the United States, but throughout the world. As we enter the 21st century, there are children working in exploitative settings in virtually every type of unskilled or low-skilled occupation. And they readily admit that the numbers are just estimates, probably well under the actual numbers. In Africa alone, some 40 percent of the children are working. The numbers become more profound with the recognition that child labor does not refer to children who do odd jobs for a few hours a week.
Child labor refers to hazardous and exploitative labor.
Child labor in factories usually grabs the headlines, but roughly 95 percent of all child laborers are found harvesting fruits and vegetables in agricultural fields, cleaning stranger's homes, working on construction sites, picking through trash in garbage dumps, or selling either products or themselves on street corners. In both the United States and abroad, the largest numbers of children are found working in agriculture. These children are among the lowest paid, and their work is perhaps the least regulated by governments. The accompanying article in this report is written by a guest contributor, Diane Mull, the executive director of the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs. Ms. Mull describes the plight of farmworker children in the United States.