Modern Slavery has been a focus of attention recently both here and overseas as employers have been exposed for hiring and taking advantage of vulnerable workers.
To address this, Florida has been working to crack down on employers who have been hiring undocumented immigrants for a number of years. But as Trump and his administration seek to shut the gates with increasing severity, this has resulted in a gap for businesses in the state who are in desperate need of workers to fill low-wage and undesirable jobs, roles previously filled by these immigrants.
To fill the gap, Florida’s Republican Governor Ron De Santis and the state legislature have identified a potential solution: child labour.
Proposed changes to Florida’s child labour laws would eliminate several crucial protections for minors, including those for 16 and 17-year-olds. If implemented, the changes could require young workers to work more than eight hours a day on school nights and over 30 hours a week while school is in session, without any mandated breaks.
The changes would also allow children as young as 14 years old to work overnight shifts, eliminating working time restrictions on teenagers aged 14 and 15 if they are home-schooled, and end guaranteed meal breaks for 16 and 17-year-olds.
While these law changes have been framed as a common-sense update to outdated rules, they roll back integral protections put in place to safeguard the education and health of young workers.
With the number of child labour violations in Florida having nearly tripled in recent years, according to the US Department of Labor Statistics, many have voiced their concern that the changes will increase the risk of economic exploitation, particularly for low-income and marginalised families where children may be pressured to contribute to household income.
What is striking about Florida’s proposed labour laws is not just their scope but the underlying messages that children's time and labour are being commodified in the face of economic and political pressures. This may be politically expedient, but it is ethically fraught.
These changes, if implemented, would see an erosion of safeguards that are fundamental to children’s rights and long-term opportunities.
Fortunately, in contrast, New Zealand’s child labour framework prioritises education and well-being while also allowing young people to gain necessary work experience.
Key features of the New Zealand laws include that if employers hire any school-aged students under the age of 16, their work hours must be outside of school hours, and they cannot work between 10 pm and 6 am. Additionally, work should not interfere with the student’s schoolwork.
Further, all employees in New Zealand, regardless of age, are entitled to a written employment agreement, minimum wage (after turning 16), breaks, and leave entitlements.
Specific protections include that those under the age of 15 are prohibited from working in hazardous environments, such as construction sites, logging areas, or locations where machinery is operated.
While it is highly unlikely that New Zealand would ever consider eroding these fundamental safeguards, research suggests that as a nation, we could be and should be doing more to prevent exploitation, both domestically and internationally.
In recent years, New Zealand has been regularly criticised for falling behind international labour standards for ‘modern slavery’. Modern slavery is an umbrella term used to describe the exploitation of people for personal or commercial gain and includes slavery, forced labour, trafficking, and child labour.
The latest figures issued by the International Labour Organisation indicate that there are 50 million people globally who are subject to some form of modern slavery, with the number increasing annually. They estimate that there are currently about 8,000 people working under modern slavery conditions in New Zealand.
Additionally, a 2023 review by World Vision suggests that Kiwi households spend an average of $77 (USD) per week on goods that are likely produced using child labour and/or forced labour.
So, whilst Florida’s proposed changes may seem radical, the issues of modern slavery and child labour touch us also. Without a greater awareness of these issues, businesses are unlikely to take the necessary steps to address modern slavery and child labour in their operations and supply chains.
Laws are not just functional, they reflect our values. Children’s education, safety, and development need to be protected as they are a long-term investment and a human rights issue.
Originally published in The Post
