For the international day against child labor on June 12th, Terre des Hommes indicates child labor, corruption and veiling in the supply chain of Mineral Mica
Osnabrück, June 10, 2022 - around 30,000 children in India float the mineral mica. Due to the Corona Lockdowns, who met particularly poor Indian day laborers and forced their children to work, their number has increased by 8,000. In the mining areas of the approximately 800 villages in the Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand, children and adults dug shafts up to 20 meters deep and promote the mineral. Younger children sort the yield by size, the little ones are four years old. Again and again shafts break in, often serious injuries and deaths occur. The children have massive cuts to the hands and suffer from respiratory diseases due to the dust development in the shafts.
In 2020, India covered around 30 percent of the world market for Mica with a total value of $ 57 million. The mineral is contained in cars, electronics, building materials and cosmetics. However, the extraction of Mica is illegal in the two main mining areas in the states of Bihar and Jharkhand. The terre des hommes research "behind the beautiful appearance" reveals that the supply chain is characterized by corruption and veiling. The families sell the mica to local buyers and achieve a daily income of the equivalent of 1.40 to 3.60 euros. The mineral reaches further processing companies via several intermediate traders who disguise the origin. No children work in the processing companies, but the working conditions and the remuneration are also bad there. Several owners reported Terre des Hommes of regular monthly lubrication funds that should be paid to the police and authorities in order to continue working. Transports to the port of Kalkutta are often carried out at night to avoid police controls and further protection money payments. False papers are issued for export to disguise the origin from illegal sources. German companies confirmed Terre des Hommes that they have so far only been able to understand their mica supply chain up to importers.
Terre des Hommes therefore calls on Mica-making companies in the car and electronics industry as well as the cosmetic industry to check their supply chain up to the abrasions and to work together for the legalization of mica mining in Bihar and Jharkhand and compliance with basic human and labor rights. So far, 70 companies have participated in the joint initiative for responsible mica acquisition (responsible mica initiative), including BASF, L´Oréal, Merck, the Volkswagen Group and Daimler. “It is time for a stronger effort together so that the mica extraction is finally legalized. The Indian government must also implement labor rights and minimum wages for this sector and combat corruption. Only then can the families achieve better prices and would no longer be dependent on the cooperation of the children, «said Beat Wehrle, board spokesman for Terre des Hommes. "We are therefore currently examining whether we can use the new supply chain law to persuade more companies to act."
Consumers currently have no way to see whether the mica comes from legal sources in cars, cell phones, cell phones or cosmetics. Terre des Hommes asks consumers to critically ask companies. »A boycott or the replacement by synthetic mica does not help for the affected children and their families, because they would lose their only source of income. We do not want to end the digging of Mica, but the exploitation, «says Beat Wehrle.
Terre des Hommes is involved in the responsible mica initiative and ensures that families can survive without the cooperation of the children in 100 villages of the Mica mining area in India and all children attend school.