Dear Friend,
Every day, hundreds of thousands of children go to work on tobacco farms around the world.
Working in hazardous conditions and for long hours, many miss out on their childhood and education. Many work unpaid, have no rights, and are unaware of the health risks they face.
They become exposed to toxic chemicals through direct contact with crops. In the USA, children as young as twelve are still legally permitted to work up to 50-60 hours per week in tobacco farming. Nearly three in four children who work on tobacco farms in the United States experience green tobacco sickness – acute nicotine poisoning that occurs when workers absorb nicotine through their skin.
In India, children as young as four work in the Beedi industry, trapped in slavery and forced to make hundreds of hand-rolled cigarettes each day.
Today, World Day Against Child Labor, we are helping Human Rights Watch highlight the shocking truth of how children are exploited and harmed by the global tobacco industry.
This short film tells the story of children who work on tobacco farms in Indonesia.