Child Labor Coalition

10/16/2026

On , we honor the farmworkers who plant, tend, and harvest the food on our tables, often in extreme heat, for long hours, and with fewer protections than most workers.

That includes children. Under current law, kids as young as 12 can work in the fields for long hours in extreme heat. The CARE Act would bring their age and hour protections in line with every other industry.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/M6gm50ZYBS9

10/15/2026

We proudly endorse Senator Ben Ray Luján’s reintroduced CARE Act. Kids as young as 12 can legally work in the fields for 10+ hours a day in extreme heat, under far weaker protections than kids in any other industry.

“Our nation has a moral duty to protect every working child,” said CLC Chair Sally Greenberg. “Updating these antiquated laws is long overdue.” https://ow.ly/fmW650ZXNyL

10/06/2026

Who is really making the products we buy? GoodWeave International CEO Jon Jacoby talks about how "hidden tiers" in supply chains leave workers vulnerable to exploitation.

10/06/2026

For Kailash Satyarthi, compassion is not passive. It means moral responsibility for one another, and the courage to act on it. Honored to hear him speak in DC and co-host him alongside the National Consumers League, GoodWeave International, American University's School of International Service, and the Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion.

09/30/2026

CLC is proud to endorse the bipartisan Stop Child Labor Act from Senators Schatz and Young. With child labor violations at their highest level in two decades, this bill would raise penalties, add criminal consequences, and let victims sue employers who exploit them. Read more:

US Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) introduced legislation to help stop illegal child labor. The bipartisan Stop Child Labor Act would increase maximum fines for violations, establish new criminal penalties, allow victims harmed by violations to file private lawsuits, and enc...

09/30/2026

A Wisconsin McDonald's franchisee scheduled 23 minors outside legal hours and denied them required breaks. State officials recovered $17,000 in unpaid wages and ordered nearly $60,000 in penalties. Fast food is one of the most common places minors' labor rights get violated.

DWD and DOJ said Iron Arch had multiple child labor law violations.

09/28/2026

The New York Times’ reporting from a Venezuelan gold town brings renewed attention to conditions the U.S. Department of Labor has documented in the Orinoco Mining Arc for years. Behind some of the world’s gold are children paying a price no child should ever be asked to pay.

Children as young as 9 years old are reportedly working in Venezuela’s gold mines. They can spend 10 to 15 hours a day underground, crawling through narrow, unsupported tunnels, operating dangerous equipment, and working without toilets, ventilation, first aid, adequate water, or basic safety gear. And then there is mercury. Children in these mining communities face the risk of mercury poisoning, mine collapses, gang violence, and armed conflict—all in the pursuit of gold. https://ow.ly/2Uax50ZSnUw

With U.S. support, traders arrived and cut deals. That investment has so far failed to improve the bleak conditions in the mining industry.

09/23/2026

Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi has rescued over 138,000 children from labor, slavery, and trafficking, and shared the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize with Malala Yousafzai for that work. On October 5, he will join us to talk about solving global child labor with compassion. RSVP: https://ow.ly/5bMi50ZQHUr

09/22/2026

A major step forward in the fight against child labor: the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) National Convention unanimously passed a resolution calling on the AFL-CIO and Education International to file a formal complaint with the International Labor Organization (ILO), alleging the U.S. government has failed to uphold its commitments under ILO Convention No. 182 to combat child labor.

Read the full resolution: https://ow.ly/umnL50ZQc45

09/07/2026

Jacky lost pieces of her childhood when she started working in the fields at age 11. This year, she stood before officials from 100+ countries and made sure they couldn't look away. Jacky interned with CLC in 2023. Read more about her story: https://ow.ly/oEqC50ZIZF3