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Title 29, LaborRelease 119-110

§212 Child Labor Provisions

Title 29 › CHAPTER 8 — FAIR LABOR STANDARDS › § 212

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Producers, manufacturers, and dealers may not ship goods if oppressive child labor was used at the place where the goods were made within 30 days before the goods were removed. A buyer who bought the goods in good faith for value, relied on a written assurance from the seller that the goods were made lawfully, and had no notice of a violation is not treated as breaking this rule. If someone is prosecuted and convicted for such a shipment, they cannot be prosecuted again for shipments made before that prosecution began. The Secretary of Labor and authorized agents must inspect and investigate the employment of minors. Under the Attorney General’s direction, they must bring suits to stop unlawful oppressive child labor and enforce these rules. The Secretary may also require employers to obtain proof of age from employees.

Full Legal Text

Title 29, §212

Labor, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Restrictions on shipment of goods; prosecution; conviction
No producer, manufacturer, or dealer shall ship or deliver for shipment in commerce any goods produced in an establishment situated in the United States in or about which within thirty days prior to the removal of such goods therefrom any oppressive child labor has been employed: Provided, That any such shipment or delivery for shipment of such goods by a purchaser who acquired them in good faith in reliance on written assurance from the producer, manufacturer, or dealer that the goods were produced in compliance with the requirements of this section, and who acquired such goods for value without notice of any such violation, shall not be deemed prohibited by this subsection: And provided further, That a prosecution and conviction of a defendant for the shipment or delivery for shipment of any goods under the conditions herein prohibited shall be a bar to any further prosecution against the same defendant for shipments or deliveries for shipment of any such goods before the beginning of said prosecution.
(b)Investigations and inspections
The Secretary of Labor or any of his authorized representatives, shall make all investigations and inspections under section 211(a) of this title with respect to the employment of minors, and, subject to the direction and control of the Attorney General, shall bring all actions under section 217 of this title to enjoin any act or practice which is unlawful by reason of the existence of oppressive child labor, and shall administer all other provisions of this chapter relating to oppressive child labor.
(c)Oppressive child labor (d) Proof of age
No employer shall employ any oppressive child labor in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce or in any enterprise engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1974—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 93–259 added subsec. (d). 1961—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 87–30 inserted “or in any enterprise engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce”. 1949—Subsec. (a). Act Oct. 26, 1949, § 10(a), struck out

Effective Date

at beginning of subsection and inserted proviso excepting good faith purchaser of goods produced by oppressive child labor. Subsec. (c). Act Oct. 26, 1949, § 10(b), added subsec. (c).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1974 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 93–259 effective May 1, 1974, see section 29(a) of Pub. L. 93–259, set out as a note under section 202 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1961 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 87–30 effective upon expiration of one hundred and twenty days after May 5, 1961, except as otherwise provided, see section 14 of Pub. L. 87–30, set out as a note under section 203 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1949 AmendmentAmendment by act Oct. 26, 1949, effective ninety days after Oct. 26, 1949, see section 16(a) of act Oct. 26, 1949, set out as a note under section 202 of this title.

Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions

For

Transfer of Functions

of other officers, employees, and agencies of Department of Labor, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of Labor, with power to delegate, see Reorg. Plan No. 6 of 1950, §§ 1, 2, 15 F.R. 3174, 64 Stat. 1263, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. “Secretary of Labor” substituted for “Chief of the Children’s Bureau in the Department of Labor” in subsec. (b) by 1946 Reorg. Plan No. 2. See note set out under section 203 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

29 U.S.C. § 212

Title 29, Labor

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110