Mica, a mineral abundant in Bihar and Jharkhand, is widely used in various industries across the globe. The automotive, electronics, chemical, and cosmetics industries are some of the top consumers of mica.

However, the darkest secret of the mica industry is the involvement of child labour in procuring the mineral. Notably, mica mining was banned in Jharkhand in 1980 when the Forest Conservation Act came into effect. However, illegal mining continues to be a concerning issue in the region.

The Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) has been addressing the serious problem of child labour and exploitation in the mica regions of Bihar and Jharkhand since 2005. Our vision of a child labour-free mica industry can be achieved if we keep children at the centre, involve relevant stakeholders, engage the government at all levels, and rope in the industry bodies and civil society. We aim to unite and leverage the collective power of all stakeholders locally, nationally and globally to end all forms of child labour in the region.

The thriving mica industry in the states of Jharkhand and Bihar has put thousands of children in the area at risk of exploitation and losing their childhoods. Widespread poverty and impoverishment have led to large numbers of children dropping out of school to supplement their family incomes by working in illegal mines under inhuman conditions.

Robbed of their childhood, armed with tools and collection baskets, children are often involved in collecting mica embedded deep in the ground as they can easily access rathole mines. With every hammer strike, however, the danger of being buried alive due to a mine collapse only gets aggravated. Many deaths go unreported.

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