*the above photo is a stock image, and not the child mentioned in this petition*
Fourteen-year-old Luis works 12 hours a day in the tobacco fields of North Carolina, starting his day at 5 am to get ready for a van to pick him up, and often not returning until 7 pm.
There are thousands of child laborers like Luis in the U.S.
When 18 is the mimimum age to buy a pack of cigarettes, why on earth are young children allowed to work in tobacco fields and suffer devastating health effects like nicotine poisoning?
It goes back to the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act, which provided a minimum wage and protected workers, but exempted agriculture, including child labor.
This is appalling and must change.
Please sign my petition calling on the U.S. government to put in place legislation that prohibits tobacco companies from using child labor and ensures regular human rights monitoring for all their workers.
