Rights group: Israeli settlers profit from Palestinian child labour ( HRW )

[Jefferson23]

Human Rights Watch say settlement farms, mostly in the Jordan Valley, employ children as young as 11, pay them low wages and subject them to dangerous working conditions.

By The Associated Press | Apr. 13, 2015

A leading international human rights group on Monday accused Jewish settlements in the West Bank of using Palestinian child labor in farming, calling it a violation of international law.

Human Rights Watch said the settlement farms, most of them in the Jordan Valley, employ children as young as 11, pay them low wages and subject them to dangerous working conditions. In a 74-page report, the New York-based group said hundreds of children work in the settlement farms, often in high temperatures, carrying heavy loads and are exposed to hazardous pesticides.

Human Rights Watch said it interviewed 38 children and 12 adults in Palestinian communities in the Jordan Valley. According to the report, Palestinian children often drop out of school to pick, clean and pack asparagus, tomatoes, eggplants, sweet peppers, onions and dates, among other crops.

HRW says international law, as well as Israeli and Palestinian law, sets 15 as the minimum age of employment, though many of the children interviewed by the group said they began working at 13 or 14.

in full: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.651544