More than 3,800 children were found to be working at U.S. companies last year in violation of federal law, the Labor Department said Monday in announcing a crackdown on child labor.
The new measures, which include the launching of an interagency task force and enhanced tracking of minors who enter the country alone, were announced in the wake of media reports, including by NBC News, on children working grueling jobs in the U.S.
"We see every day the scourge of child labor in this country, and we have a legal and a moral obligation to take every step in our power to prevent it," Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said in a statement.
For more on this story, go to NBC News.