NBC News is capping a yearlong investigation of U.S. child labor with the documentary “Slaughterhouse Children,” which includes new information on the death of Duvan Pérez.

A 16-year-old employee who died after getting sucked into equipment at a Mississippi poultry plant got the job using the identity of a 32-year-old man, a new revelation that highlights the ease with which migrant children are finding work in a dangerous industry, and the challenges companies face in trying to evaluate their true ages.

Duvan Pérez, who was hired to clean up at Mar-Jac Poultry in Hattiesburg, which supplies chicken to companies like Chick-fil-A, died on July 14. Within hours of his death, questions about his true age were raised by a local Facebook news site, and he was soon determined to be 16.

It’s illegal for minors to work in slaughterhouses, which the Occupational Safety and Health Administration considers among the most perilous workplaces in the country.

The number of children working illegally has skyrocketed across all industries, according to the Labor Department, nearly doubling since 2019. More than 800 child labor investigations in 47 states are ongoing across industries, according to the agency.

  • @raynethackery
    4•1 year ago

    I agree, but then we also need to look at labor practices in farming.

    • ElcaineVolta
      3•1 year ago

      you are absolutely right, safety and dignity in the workforce is in need of an overhaul, at least this year has had some highlights on that front; given some of the union victories and movements toward organization.
      ideally, our immigration systems in the US, or lack thereof, would be next in line for such a refocus.
      pinning down the marginalized to be fleeced for exploitation is the obvious outcome of a capitalistic system, and cruelty seems to be the point.