Child labor trafficking, a grim underbelly of society, thrives in the shadows of everyday life, often camouflaged within the bustling environments of restaurants, laundromats, and agricultural fields. Now, with the dangerous trend of child labor law rollbacks across the U.S., the issue of child labor trafficking only stands to get worse.

Despite its pervasive presence, this insidious issue has remained largely concealed from public scrutiny. Professor Amy Farrell of Northeastern University has led a study that helps us understand the layers of this hidden, yet vicious epidemic.

The results are in, and they are not good

In an interview with Northeastern Global News, Farrell elaborates on the stark realities unearthed by the study. Her findings come out of the investigation of 132 trafficked children from a myriad of sectors:

“They are all around us. They are on our roofs, they are in our gardens doing landscaping. They work cleaning dentists’ offices, for storage facilities and in restaurants, agriculture and poultry farms. They work in waterparks, hotels and in private homes providing childcare and domestic labor.”

Farrell also discusses the dual vulnerably of both American-born and migrant children, citing poverty, housing instability, and familial trafficking as major contributing factors. The study reveals harrowing instances where minors, driven by economic necessity or coercion, are forced into exploitative labor, devoid of any basic protections and human rights.

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