Day: Jun 7, 2026

The report revealed that in the U.S., children as young as 11 to 13 years old were employed for long hours, sometimes operating dangerous equipment and working in prohibited occupations.

“On the kill floors of meat processing plants, children are using harsh chemicals to clean back saws, head splitters, brisket saws, jaw pullers, meat bandsaws, and neck clippers. In sawmills, children are operating chop saws, rip saws, and powered wood processing machines. Teens are hauling and stacking wood for processing by automated machinery. Children are operating power driven lifts to move pallets. In poultry processing plants, children are using sharp knives to debone chickens. In construction, minors are working on roofs and operating power-driven woodworking machines. Over the last two years, several children have been seriously injured, and some have been killed while at work,” the reported unveiled.

The U.S., which fancies itself a “human rights defender” and is quick to point fingers at other nations over human rights violations, is the only one among the 193 UN member states that has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).