Child Labour still rampant A recent investigation by Thomson Reuters Foundation has revealed the appalling state of children working in the illegal mica mines of Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, in India. The investigation reports seven child deaths in the last two months. Today, the demand of mica is on the rise as this mineral adds a sparkle to cosmetics and makeup items and car paint.

Illegal & Inhuman 70 percent of India’s mica output comes from illegal mines. After a great boost in China’s natural cosmetics sector, India exports the maximum amount of mica because of a vast black market. Unfortunately, as one might say, local villagers are recruited for mining mica because they don’t have any other work to depend on. Hence, the mine owners encash the availability of cheap labourers. Children are also not spared. They don’t go to schools and help their parents in work to earn some extra money.

Deaths of Children not reported The report suggests that only 10% of child deaths is reported to police, while there looms a grimmer picture deep within. The Thomson Reuters Foundation findings were backed up by Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi’s child protection group Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) – or Save the Childhood Movement – which documented over 20 mica-related deaths in June.

To read the report in detail, click here.