Mica is a mineral that can add luster to a range of products from eye shadow to lip gloss. But what consumers did not see was a deadly transaction involving even children. Undercover Asia plans to investigate.

Sorting rubble to mine mica.

Jharkhand, India: Sounds like a harmless ingredient, a word among the many ingredients hidden on the back of the eye shadow palette packaging.

Mica: A mineral that can be ground into a shiny powder, found in everything from eye shadow to lip gloss to foundation. Cosmetics companies value the properties of mica: refraction, superfine, and naturally occurring different colors.

It is found all over the world, including India, which is known for having the largest and best mineral deposits in the world. But in India, there is a heavy price to pay for this, and Asian Undercover plans to investigate.

Thousands of miners who work illegally in the country's mica mines bear this burden, away from the bright lights of the cosmetics counter.

'We have nothing'

Jharkhand is a state rich in mineral resources in northeastern India. It is the country's main producer of coal, copper and mica. But nearly half of the population lives in poverty.

One of them is Basanti Mosamat, a 40-year-old widow who lives by picking and selling waste mica. This is the only source of income for her family.

Once a week, Mosamat, her father-in-law and her five children trek 10 kilometers to camp in the forest bordering her village, where they will screen for minerals in the next few days.

"It is difficult for us to find food and try to survive," she said. Picking mica from morning till night without any protective equipment, leaving her hands bruised and bruised.

Her eldest daughter Karishma Kumari Birhor has been picking mica since she was five years old-out of necessity. The more people working, the more food on the family table.

"It's not enough for a person to pick mica," the 14-year-old said. "My father has passed away, so I must help my mother."

The price of mica scrap per kilogram is 7 rupees (S$0.13). When the weather is good, her family hopes to earn around 150 rupees.

They are not as lucky as most people. They are part of Adivasis, the 100 million indigenous people in India. They live on the margins of society and have limited government support in health, education, job security, and food.

"We have nothing here. We only eat every other day," Karishma said. "Dreams won't come true."

Poverty has forced some miners to turn to abandoned caves and mine shafts, where mica is more abundant. But without lighting or safety devices, they often rely on their knowledge of the terrain to guide them.

Mukesh Bhulla, who has entered the abandoned mine since he was a child, is still afraid. "People might slip and fall somewhere, or a stone might fall on their head... It's very difficult," he said.

"We must pay attention to our surroundings. Sometimes landmines will collapse. If one person makes a mistake, many people may die."

In January, there were at least three reports of mine collapses in the Kodma area of ​​Jharkhand. It is estimated that 10 to 20 people die from such accidents every month in the mica belt in the northeastern part of the country.

But for every reported accident, more accidents have been covered up by an important reason: according to the Forest (Conservation) Act, mining mica from the land is illegal, which came into force in 1980 to protect India’s Forest.

However, the miners have no choice but to continue. "If we don't work here, then we will all die," said Dimpi Devi, the mother of three children who mines mica from mineral deposits in forests and gardens.

There is no other choice for work. What will we do?

She strives to make ends meet. Her family’s weekly expenses can be as high as 2,500 rupees, but they can only earn 1,000 rupees.

This makes miners like her vulnerable to exploitation, especially when facing additional household or medical expenses. Unable to use the formal banking system, they turned to unlicensed money lenders with annual interest rates as high as 200%.

"Some miners told us that they were only allowed to sell mica to certain traders, and they borrowed money from them, and the price was determined by that trader," said investigative reporter Peter Bengtsen, who tracked the mica trade in Jharkhand. to know more information. More than ten years.

"The agreement will basically last until they repay the debt to this trader."

Raids by forest authorities are also common, and miners sometimes have to pay bribes to continue working. "The police do not visit often, but the rangers are always behind us," Mosamat said.

The mining areas in Jharkhand are also operated by different syndicates.

Deepak Bara, a freelance journalist based in Jharkhand, said: "There is a complete network that facilitates this kind of mining, and they are very powerful." "It can be very dangerous-it can be life-threatening- Because there are too many stakeholders."

It is estimated that 70% of India's mica production is illegally mined.

After investigations into the use of child labor in the industry, mica began to have a controversial reputation in the mid-2000s.

According to the International Labor Organization, there are more than 10 million child laborers in India. With the attention of international organizations, the plight of children in the mica industry has also attracted the attention of the international media.

"The story came out-the children went to the mica mine to help their parents. Many documentaries were about child labor," Barra said.

However, local journalists and politicians believe that these reports failed to resolve a key detail: the marginalization of Adivasis. Bara points out that children who grew up around mica mines "have only one choice": picking mica.

"They have to earn some income for their families," he said. "The government has no childcare support. If there is, it won't work."

The problem surrounding mica is a systemic problem. It's not like you do a small activity, things will be resolved. The ground reality is very different.

In response to the growing public concern, several global alliances were formed. One of them, the Responsible Mica Initiative, intends to eradicate child mining in Jharkhand by next year through better supervision and practices. Its members include Chanel, L'Oreal and Sephora.

Some brands have also promised stricter compliance in their supply chains. But some people also admit that it is difficult to track their mica and check whether it is free of child labor.

According to data from the World Bank, in 2019, India exported mica powder worth more than US$37 million (S$49 million). Given the large number of purchases and transactions, it may not be possible to accurately trace the source of branded mica.

Nevertheless, traceability has become a key issue for some manufacturers.

In January, the EU's regulations on gold, tungsten and tin as conflict minerals came into effect, so companies are now obliged to source these minerals responsibly. However, similar legislation on mica has not yet been resolved.

"Mica is a very cheap raw material for production," said Yu Jin Tay, Circulor's business development director. Circulor is a responsible sourcing company that uses blockchain to verify the origin of goods and minerals in the supply chain.

"Compared with other raw materials such as gold or cobalt, it sometimes makes no economic sense to ensure that the cost of responsible procurement is part of the cost of the product."

Watch: The dark secret behind shiny makeup (47:55)

He added that technology can be part of the solution. However, more work needs to be done to make ethical trading a common practice.

"To ensure that responsible sourcing practices are happening, they may require legislation, and organizations need to incorporate compliance costs into their value chain," he said.

"And we consumers need to accept that our costs have increased."

What else can I do?

Back in Jharkhand, the demand for mica has not decreased, and the state government is promoting mining as one of its economic growth initiatives.

As the problems faced by mica pickers become too serious to ignore, more and more community gatherings are being organized for them to express their opinions. At some rallies, calls for legalization of mining are getting louder and louder.

Jharkhand legislator Sudivya Kumar is using this momentum to continue lobbying for the legalization of mica mining.

"Jharkhand has always been covered by forests, and its protection and welfare are always in our DNA," he said. "We must find a way to save communities and forests."

Mica was once classified as a forest product, but the Forest (Conservation) Act defines mica picking as a non-forest activity. The indigenous people of India hope that their status can be restored.

“If picking mica is our only option, then the government should legalize mining here so that we can work without any fear or pressure,” Devi said.

Former mine owner Deepak Kumar Singh agreed, saying: "Mica waste is basically a remnant of previous mining activities. It does not damage the forest, but it is still illegal."

But without taking any actual action, mica pickers like Devi and Mosamat are still working in uncertainty.

Watch this episode of Undercover Asia here.

This service is not applicable to those who live in the European Union who click to subscribe, which means that I agree to receive news updates and promotional materials from MediaMedia and media partners.

Copyright © Mediacorp 2021. Mediacorp Pte Ltd. all rights reserved.

We know that switching browsers is troublesome, but we want you to have a fast, safe, and best possible experience on CNA.

To continue, please upgrade to a supported browser or, for the best experience, download the mobile app.

Is there a problem after upgrading? contact us