In the US, you have to be 18 to work as a roofer due to the inherent danger of the job. But as the New York Times reports in a grim investigation, a growing population of children are ending up on our roofs anyway, in some cases without safety gear or training: migrant children. For its lengthy piece, the Times interviewed more than 100 child roofers, some of whom say they were only elementary age when they started the job. They toil atop "big box stores, government-owned buildings, and campus housing, as well as private homes." They include Juan Nasario, 14, who has been a roofer since he arrived in New Orleans from Guatemala at age 10, and Antoni, 15, who came from Honduras to the Myrtle Beach area in 2021.
Antoni's story illustrates the potential perils: He fell from a beach house's three-story-high roof in the spring. His injuries were life-threatening, and he didn't wake from his coma for three months. Without insurance, rehab wasn't an option. Unable to talk or walk, he hasn't left his uncle's trailer for months. Per the Times, the children find the work via day labor sites, Facebook groups, and churches. It spoke with one South Carolina crew boss who described protective gear as overly cumbersome and expressed little concern about repercussions: Inspectors "only visit certain neighborhoods, and sometimes they let you know when they're going to show up." She says she employs children because they're in need, and because there aren't enough adults who want the work. (Read the full story for much more.)
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