The Nation : Child Labor Violation Rise Exceeds 50%

Illegal employment of children in violation of the nation’s child labor laws increased by more than 50% in 1987, the Labor Department said. Labor Department officials said the most dramatic increase in violations of the child protection laws were in the Northeast, where unemployment rates in several states have been hovering in a range of 3% or roughly half the national average. High employment reduces the pool of adults available for jobs. The number of children nationwide that the department found in specific violations to be illegally employed last year was slightly more than 19,000, up from 12,662 in 1986. Under the labor laws, children ages 14 and 15 can hold limited, non-hazardous jobs and work a restricted number of hours. Children ages 16 and 17 can work full time but not in dangerous occupations such as roofing or around hazardous machinery.