"Report alleges child labour violations in tobacco fields", 5 May 2016

A report about the practices of farmers who sell tobacco to R.J. Reynolds shows that several growers had children under the age of 13 working in their fields despite a pledge by the company to ban the hiring of people so young...Assessors interviewed 505 workers employed by 373 RJR-contracted growers...from late June through early September 2015...Of the 505 workers interviewed, five identified themselves as being 15 to 17 years old. All five worked full-time on South Carolina farms and all said they were local to the area in which they worked. RJR spokesman John Wilson said the company’s 2015 grower contracts prohibited the employment of non-family minors below the age of 16. The company has identified two growers as having violated that policy, he said.“Both growers received corrective action and will receive ongoing monitoring,” he said in an email. “They will also be audited again in 2016.”