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Publication Date
Summer 2025
Digital Publisher
Digital Commons at St. Mary's University
Collection
McNair Scholars Symposium
Keywords
Exploitation, Cosmetics, Human Rights, India, Advocacy, and Mica
Description
Mica is a shiny silicate mineral found in granite, crystals, or other rocks. Its shiny and reflective property has attracted the eyes of many cosmetic corporations. Due to high rates of unemployment and poverty in Asian countries such as India and its Jharkhand region, corporations have taken over and manipulated the exportations of mica. These regions carry out illegal child labor in mica mining sites that are not only hazardous to children, but the economy and ecosystem around them. Previous research has shown how cosmetic corporations use mica as one of their main ingredients for shiny pigmentations within their products, however, there is limited research that has indicated the links between child labor and the cosmetic industry. This research examines the effects that cosmetic corporations have on children in India. Specifically, it seeks to discuss why the high demand of mica increases child labor and negatively impacts the health, economic, and social wellbeing of children. By analyzing secondary sources such as peer reviewed articles, reports, and policies in India, this study will contribute to a better understanding of exploitative child labor and provide alternative ways corporations can mine mica that allows a more effective quality of life for children and their families.
Disciplines
Inequality and Stratification | Politics and Social Change | Social Justice | Work, Economy and Organizations
Format
MOV
Medium
Video
Size or Duration
14 minutes 15 seconds
City
San Antonio, Texas
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
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