Child Labor Laws
What are child labor laws?
Child Labor Laws are laws that control the work that children are permitted to do.
Georgia's Child Labor Laws
The Federal law established 14 as the minimum age for anyone to be employed. The Georgia state law requires any worker between the ages 14-17 to obtain an employment certificate from his or her school. Minors 15 years of age and younger are forbidden to work at a maximum of 3 hours on schools days only. During non-school weeks, minors can work up to 40 hours a week and can work up until 9p.m. during the summer.
Georgia’s child-labor law does not require employers to provide breaks to their young employees. As to documenting a minor’s age, all employers must have proof that the applicant is at least 18 years of age.
Child Labor in Arizona
- Youth under 16 years of age cannot work more than 3 hours on a school day—if they are enrolled in school—while school is in session, or more than 8 hours per day on a non-school day. If they are enrolled in school, they cannot work more than 18 hours per week when school is in session.
- Youth under 16 years of age cannot work before 6:00 am or after 9:30 pm if they have school the next day. If they do not have school the next day, they are not permitted to work after 11:00 pm. Youth who are not enrolled in school cannot work before 6:00 am or after 11:00 pm.
- No youth under 16 can ever work more than 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week.
- Generally positions that require driving are not suitable for minors by law. The exception is that 16- and 17-year-olds can drive up to 2 hours per day or 25% of their shift (whichever is shorter), but cannot drive large vehicles.
- Youth cannot operate heavy machinery. There are a couple of exemptions, but it is advisable to think about your liability before ever considering actually doing this. This means that in most cases, manufacturing and construction position are not suitable for minors. Other restrictions speak specifically to youth not being allowed to work in positions such as roofing and demolition.
- Parental permission is not needed in order to employ youth. Meanwhile parental permission, even in writing, does not allow you operate outside of regulations.
- You must verify the age of youth who are applying for a position with you. It is not considered age discrimination to ask youth their age. Age discrimination applies to 40- to 70-year-old applicants.
- You can, and will, be fined for violations of these labor laws that are brought to the attention of either regulating body. The state dictates that the maximum financial penalty that can be assessed is $1,000.00 per infraction. You can of course contest a fine as long as you do it within 20 days of issuance.
North Korea and China
- In North Korea and China, children are either forced by governments into labor, or governments ignore companies that forcibly employ them.
- Under these forced conditions, children produce jewels and precious metals, clothes, coal, tobacco, food items, construction materials, electronic goods, pornography, and more.
- The worst forms of child labor include slavery, forced labor, debt bondage, drug dealing, sexual exploitation, and hazardous working conditions.
- The Labor Department says they have spent more than $740 million in programs to help more than 80 countries combat child labor since 1995.