The Cruelest Cuts series

On Sunday and Monday, The Charlotte Observer published a two-part series detailing the risks to young workers in dangerous jobs. The stories showed that federal child labor enforcement has waned despite new evidence that many employers are ignoring the rules. Observer reporters also spoke to more than 20 current and former workers at House of Raeford Farms, who said the N.C.-based poultry company frequently hired underage workers, despite rules that prohibit companies from hiring juveniles for hazardous jobs such as poultry processing.