In Mexico, More Than 3M Children Work in the Fields La Jornada
go to original June 18, 2014

Thousands of children work illegally in the fields of Mexico, providing produce for dinner tables across the globe. The government has brought in new labor laws to help crack down on child labor, but authorities are finding it hard to prosecute offenders, who are mostly poor farmers. Al Jazeera's Rachel Levin reports from Sinaloa, Mexico. (AlJazeeraEnglish)

Over three million children in Mexico are forced to work in the fields. The majority are poor and either do not attend school at all or have a job in addition to school-related activities.

In the forum Child Labor and Education: Challenges, Options and Proposals, held in the Xavier Schiefer auditorium of the Ibero-American University, experts say that ours "is a poor country where children unfortunately have to work to contribute to the family economy.

"Children who do not attend school in order to spend time working are in a contradictory condition, considering that Mexico has advanced social legislation.

"Nevertheless, the latest report from the National Institute for the Evaluation of Education points out that there are about three million children aged 12 to 17 who work long hours. Half of them do not attend school. This phenomenon affects more girls than boys, especially those living in rural areas, of high marginality, and those who are older."

Read the rest at Mexico Voices

Translated by Monika Ayu

Mexico Voices is a blogging endeavor aimed at raising the awareness of U.S. citizens regarding the destructive impact of the U.S. economic policy and the War on Drugs on Mexico — on its people, their economic and physical security and their human rights, on the nation’s dysfunctional justice system, and on the rule of law and Mexico’s fragile democracy. Visit the website at MexicoVoices.blogspot.mx.

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