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◦https://youtu.be/LpYbJOMEqsI

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https://mkcollegeacuk.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/sites/english-maths/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7B67B0716B-0253-48D1-AC4B-6822152E22F5%7D&file=Chocolate-and-slavery_82566.docx&action=default&mobileredirect=true

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In 2016, more beauty and grooming salons opened in the UK than any other independent business. Latest figures show that women on average have 10 pedicures a year and spend £994 per annum on beauty treatments. Men are increasingly getting in on the act, spending on average £779 per year. I am not one of those women, but my terrible nails are a good talking point when I go into nail bars to spot signs of slavery and exploitation.

These visits are part of the work of the south-west's Anti-Slavery Partnership. Partners from law enforcement, statutory agencies and the voluntary sector come together to investigate businesses in which slavery and exploitation may be occurring. We try to make sure that people who may be victims of exploitation are aware of their rights and that there are agencies out there who are able to help. We know that exploiters and traffickers often keep their victims isolated from the community in which they work in order to exert control over them.

One of those visits led to the UK's first successful prosecution of modern slavery involving minors earlier this week in Bath, where two people were jailed after forcing children trafficked from Vietnam to work in nail bars.

Budget nail bars have taken our high streets by storm. Cheaper than traditional beauty salons, with no appointment required, they appeal to our insatiable desire for a bargain, need for instant gratification and the modern necessity to feel good about ourselves. And we want all of this without interacting with the person behind the mask providing our treatment.

But this desire for cheap service can fuel modern slavery. The current estimate is that there are 40 million slaves worldwide - and it is often unclear what practical steps an individual can take to avoid using "slave labour" in pursuing our beauty regimes.

The reality is that it is the people using the nail bars who can provide the best information as to what is happening there. Familiarise yourself with the warning signs, report anything suspicious and make informed choices about the beauty salons you visit.

Our purchasing decisions hold power. If more of us are using nail bars, we need to understand the implications of what we are potentially participating in.

Regulation and licencing of nail bars is largely voluntary and, outside of a few London boroughs, this lack of regulation allows exploitative practices to continue. It is suggested that in some budget and discount nail bars no background or training checks of the technicians are conducted. Additionally, some nail bars use chemicals which, while not illegal in the UK, are not considered best practice. Warnings of allergic reactions and permanent damage to nails are concerning - and that is before we consider the potential issues of slavery, trafficking and exploitation among the workforce delivering the treatments.

It may cost more to visit a legitimate salon, but surely it's worth doing your bit to eradicate slavery, reduce crime in your area - and support businesses who are trying to do things in the right way?

* Kate Garbers is managing director of the anti-slavery organisation Unseen
Topics

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Nail bars are havens for modern slavery. Here's how you can help tackle it | Kate Garbers

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In 2016, more beauty and grooming salons opened in the UK than any other independent business. Latest figures show that women on average have 10 pedicures a year and spend £994 per annum on beauty treatments. Men are increasingly getting in on the act, spending on average £779 per year.

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There are loads of amazing films (to show clips from) which are about child soldiers!

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There are loads of amazing films (to show clips from) which are about child soldiers!

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/08/slaves-working-in-uk-construction-and-car-washes-report-finds

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https://www.modernslaveryhelpline.org/

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https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/gallery-milton-keynes-car-washes-targeted-in-police-raids-investigating-drugs-trafficking-and-modern-slavery-1-8376979
https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/gallery-milton-keynes-car-washes-targeted-in-police-raids-investigating-drugs-trafficking-and-modern-slavery-1-8376979

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Britons being subjected to slavery going abroad to work or holiday only to be captured and passports taken away.

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Sex attack 'slavery' warning for Britons heading to Spain for summer bar work: Nightclub 'touts' are abused and beaten by bosses who take away their passports to trap them

Young British 'touts' working in Majorca are at risk of forced labour, report found

Some face sexual harassment or abuse and live in squalid, overpriced housing

Other promoters have passports seized by bosses in a bid to stop them leaving

80 percent of British prisoners in Majorca are former bar and club promoters

Britons heading to Spain for summer bar work risk becoming victims of 'slavery' with some bosses even seizing passports to stop them leaving, a report has warned.

An undercover report found young nightclub 'touts' face sexual harassment and abuse while trying to make a living through seasonal work on the Spanish holiday island.

British women working as bar and club promoters are often paid low wages with no contract and charged extortionate rents, according to the Foreign Office report.

Some touts, after struggling with mounting debts, have resorted to selling drugs to fund their lifestyles.

More than 80 percent of British prisoners on Majorca are former bar and club promoters - convicted of crimes such as drug dealing and robbery, according to the government report.

Many Britons doing such unofficial seasonal jobs in Majorca are forced to work long hours for little pay with no contract, housed in squalid flats and robbed of their passports, said a report by Britain's foreign ministry backed by its border force.

The Balearics - which include Majorca - are among the most popular foreign holiday destinations for British holidaymakers in search of hot weather. Spanish police often have to deal with bad behavior by drunken British and other foreign tourists.

Young British people get into this kind of work thinking it involves 'a few hours where they get a few free drinks, a steady wage and still enjoy the party and go home with a tan and some money,' the government's report said.

'This seems to be far from reality: (these) workers are an exploited and vulnerable group of people,' the report said.

British women working as promoters on the island face sexual harassment and abuse, while many workers fall into debt and homelessness, and turn to crime to survive, the government said.

Justine Currell of the anti-trafficking charity Unseen said modern-day slavery was more widespread than the public realised, and warned of the risks facing young people seeking work abroad.

'They could end up in a job they did not foresee, living in sub standard accommodation paying huge rents, being forced to commit crimes such as selling drugs or having their passport confiscated,' Currell told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The government is carrying out a week-long operation at airports across Britain to warn young travelers about how to spot the signs of exploitation in Majorca and report abuses.

'We want to ensure that those contemplating (this) work in Majorca, many of whom are tourists tempted by the idea of an extended stay in the sunshine, do not find their summer turning into a nightmare,' said immigration minister Caroline Nokes.

About 25 million people worldwide are estimated to be trapped in forced labor, according to the U.N. International Labor Organization (ILO) and rights group Walk Free Foundation.

British nationals facing difficulties can contact the Consulate on 0034 933 666 200 or info.consulate@fco.gov.uk. They can also contact Unseen on 08000 121 700.

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'Slavery' warning for Britons heading to Spain for summer bar work

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Young British 'touts' working in Majorca are at risk of forced labour, report found Some face sexual harassment or abuse and live in squalid, overpriced housing Other promoters have passports seized by bosses in a bid to stop them leaving 80 percent of British prisoners in Majorca are former bar and club promoters Britons heading to Spain for summer bar work risk becoming victims of 'slavery' with some bosses even seizing passports to stop them leaving, a report has warned.

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Paul Broadbent, chief executive of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA), said they were "treated like slaves". Having protested their innocence, owners Darrell and Jackie Houghton said they would appeal against the GLA decision to revoke their licence, but they dropped their action this year. Agriculture, horticulture and food processing are seasonal industries that often need temporary labour. In the early 20th century, crowds from the East End of London would spend their holidays hoppicking in Kent. Teams of Irish descended on Lincolnshire.

After the Second World War, it was the turn of Mediterranean countries; there is still a large Portuguese community in the Fens.

In recent years, much seasonal labour has come from Eastern Europe. I once visited a turkey farm before Christmas: there were large, smiling, moustachioed men.

Local people, pleased to bump up their income at the end of the year, used to do the work. But with social change, no one wants to spend long hours in refrigerated rooms, plucking and packing fowl.

The business would have closed if it had not been for the Poles. They come back every year. The owner said: "I could kiss every one of them."

By no means all temporary workers are victims of forced labour. But in cases such as Frantisek's, or of the workers at DJ Houghton, details are often horrific. The majority of workers are supplied, technically speaking, by "gangmasters". The term dates back to the Victorian period when itinerant labour was hired in gangs.

These days, "labour providers" would be a more accurate reflection of the activity: any recruitment consultant, employment agency or even a neighbour that supplies labour to agriculture or horticulture comes within the legal definition.

They have a trade body, the Association of Labour Providers (ALP). As its director David Camp observes, his industry is not only regulated by the licensing authority but also subject to audit from the big supermarkets, with their stringent ethical compliance codes.

Yet there is growing awareness of the danger posed by criminals that, as one victim said, take "total control" of workers' lives. Many people first heard the term "gangmaster" in 2004, when a group of Chinese cockle pickers, who had been gathering shellfish in Morecambe Bay, north-west England, were left to their fate in a fast-rising tide. Twenty-one drowned. Public outrage found expression in the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004, regulating the supply of workers to agriculture, horticulture and shellfishing.

Hayley Campbell-Gibbons, of the National Farmers' Union, says that the scheme encourages criminals to "move out of agriculture into unregulated sectors, such as construction, catering or care homes". The ALP, together with Migrant Help, the GLA, some of the big supermarkets and other organisations, has founded Stronger Together to heighten awareness of trafficking and show victims how they can escape it.

Camp says: "Our sector has taken the lead in tackling the crime." But he concedes that there is much more to do, and "nobody can say what is happening in backstreet manufacturing units, car washes, distributing leaflets or collecting charity bags".

There is no typical victim of slavery. Victims can be men, women and children of all ages, and cut across the population. But they are most often the most vulnerable in society. Click on the thumbnail to see the full scale of Modern Slavery.

How to spot the signs of slavery
Modern slavery can be difficult to detect, but be aware of?

Appearance

Victims may show signs of physical abuse, look malnourished, unkempt or withdrawn.

Isolation

They may not be allowed to travel alone, seem under the control of others or unfamiliar with where they work.

Living conditions

Victims may live in dirty, overcrowded accommodation, and often work at the same address.

Personal effects

They may have few possessions, wear the same clothes each day and lack suitable work clothes.

Free movement

Victims have little chance to move freely and may lack ID and travel documents.

Travel times

They may be dropped off or collected for work either very early or late at night.

Reluctant to seek help

Not knowing who to trust, victims may be scared to talk to law enforcers or strangers, fearing retribution or deportation.

For a more detailed list of some of the common signs of slavery, visit modernslavery.co.uk/spot-the-signs.html

Alternatively, visit www.telegraph.co.uk/modernslavery to learn more of the UK's hidden shame

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Clive Aslet
Country Life editor at large

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Modern Slavery: dark secrets of rural Britain

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Paul Broadbent, chief executive of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA), said they were "treated like slaves". Having protested their innocence, owners Darrell and Jackie Houghton said they would appeal against the GLA decision to revoke their licence, but they dropped their action this year.

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Not sure the entire thing is useful, but demonstrates the layout of a report

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https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=20504&Lang

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http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/15570803.Police_record_3_modern_slavery_crimes_every_week__new_figures_reveal/

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https://www.dw.com/en/uk-police-raids-in-milton-keynes-rescue-modern-slavery-victims/a-42591526

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https://www.amnesty.org.uk/files/activities_-_slavery_today_english.pdf

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https://www.standard.co.uk/news/modern-slavery/members-of-same-traveller-family-jailed-in-modern-slavery-case-a3633236.html

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http://www.antislavery.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/behind-closed-doors-child-marriage-as-slavery.pdf

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-43047975

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Nadiya Hussain Opens Up About Her Arranged Marriage | Loose Women

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Girl 17 Forced To Marry 47 Year Millionaire

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Jadyn's Story: Human Trafficking in the U.S.

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Official - Global March Against Child Labour

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http://ec.europa.eu/anti-trafficking/node/1_en

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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/modern-slavery-uk-british-children-sexual-labour-exploitation-5000-record-nca-a8271331.html

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Everyday Products Made With Slave Labour

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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/slaves-on-our-streets-modern-slavery-convictions-a7942606.html

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c77jz3mdmr3t/human-trafficking

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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/lifestyle/modern-slavery-britain/11167505/child-slavery-britain-facts.html

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https://www.buckscc.gov.uk/services/community/community-safety/modern-slavery/

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5896965/NHS-nurse-convicted-trafficking-Nigerian-prostitutes-Europe-using-voodoo-magic.html

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsctc_25XFk

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A range of different aspects to modern slavery: 2 mins introduction

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A range of different aspects to modern slavery: 2 mins introduction

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Quite shocking statistics compared with crime!

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Child trafficking

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/child-trafficking-home-office-victim-protection-breach-court-appeal-a8406781.html

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When it comes to electronics, what Malaysia makes matters. According to a 2014 study " virtually every device on the market today " - from tablets to laser printers to microwaves - is likely to have involved Malaysia in some way.

Once a colonial outpost, the country has radically transformed itself into a key player in the global manufacture and trade of advanced electronics. The south-east Asian nation hosts more than 5,000 international businesses from 40 countries, thanks to 500 nationwide industrial estates and "free zones" for trade.

Malaysia has rebranded itself as a "heaven for foreign companies", describing itself as "cost-competitive", "pro-business" and "market-oriented".

But these company-friendly policies come with a major human cost, said Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch in Asia.

"Many of those working on the factory lines are migrant workers brought to the country on the promise of decent work but who are facing a system of exploitation that has deepened and expanded over the years," he said.

"While a lot of this might look like normal work, when you consider the position that many of these workers are in, where they have paid extortionate fees for their jobs, have had to work as long as three years to pay off that debt, and have no access to personal identification documents or any control over terms or conditions of work, then this isn't decent work - it is akin to modern slavery."

Migrant workers are the fuel driving Malaysia's electronics boom. Campaigners believe that as much as 40% of Malaysia's workforce is made up of migrant workers, up to a third of whom are undocumented.

Many global brands operating in the country rely on subcontractors or third-party recruiting agents to fill factories with workers.

"Malaysia is one huge assembly plant," said Bruno Pereira, of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress. "The who's who of the electronics industry is here, yet the labour supply companies and subcontracting companies are a law unto themselves. There is no minimum wage, no overtime rate and no inspection. They operate under the radar."

A 2014 report by supply chain specialists Verité found that as many as one in three foreign workers in Malaysia's electronics sector were working under conditions of forced labour. It concluded that poor living conditions, unlawful passport retention, deceptive recruitment, huge debts, no freedom of movement and penalties for leaving a job before the contract ends are just some of the conditions many workers face.

Forced labour has also been well documented in other sectors in Malaysia from domestic work to construction, agriculture, manufacturing and mining (an industry that actually depends on North Korean slave labour).

Migrant workers are routinely harassed by Rela - an armed paramilitary civilian volunteer corps with nearly 4 million members nationwide - who are granted "certain powers" by the government to tackle illegal immigration.

Complicated and outdated trade union laws mean that Malaysia has still not adopted the basic International Labour Organisation convention allowing freedom of association, and legal protection for migrants - should they need it - can be wholly inadequate.

The US State Department, which grades countries according to their efforts to curb trafficking, has repeatedly ranked Malaysia on the lowest level of its Trafficking in Persons (TiP) report, pointing to frequent forced labour, child labour and sex trafficking issues. The discovery last year on the Thai-Malaysian border of mass graves of suspected trafficking victims - who are believed to have been trafficked with the help of corrupt officials - pointed to a worrying level of collusion at the highest level in a country in which corruption among immigration and police officers is already well documented.

In last year's TiP report the State Department upgraded the country to the "tier 2 watch list", a move campaigners believe allowed Malaysia to become signatory to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a 12-country trade-liberalisation pact with the US and Canada, among others.

While TPP theoretically prohibits the use of child and forced labour, and promises to combat the trade in goods made by forced labour both inside and outside of TPP , how Malaysian employment law will adapt to these changes - particularly when it comes to foreign workers - is unclear.

In a keynote speech to British investors this year in London, Malaysia's prime minister, Najib Razak, made no mention of any employment changes, nor did he discuss his country's commitment to human rights.

Instead, he thanked notable UK companies such as Tesco, HSBC, Rolls Royce and BT for investing in the country, and pleaded with those at the Malaysia-UK Investor Showcase to follow their lead.

"Malaysia has built a resilient, sustainable and inclusive economy," Najib said. "You can count on us as your ideal partner for doing business in the region."

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Malaysia: forced labour casts dark shadow over electronics industry

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When it comes to electronics, what Malaysia makes matters. According to a 2014 study " virtually every device on the market today " - from tablets to laser printers to microwaves - is likely to have involved Malaysia in some way.

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Since the Modern Slavery Act of 2015, British companies over a certain size have been required to report on slavery in their supply chains. Their statements are both shocking and admirable. Shocking because they make clear that the incidence of slavery has become normalised once again - and not just in criminal operations such as the illegal drugs trade or trafficking for prostitution, but in the mainstream economy. The declarations are prefaced with management expressions of abhorrence, of course, but there they are, another note alongside the annual accounts. They are admirable, however, in that transparency must be the first step to tackling this phenomenon.

Last month the National Crime Agency reported a 35% annual rise in the number of suspected slavery victims found in the UK, with more than 5,000 people referred to the government mechanism that supports them in 2017. Labour exploitation, rather than sexual exploitation, was the most common type of modern slavery cited.

The list of high-risk sectors for slavery declared in company statements is long: temporary workers in distribution and office cleaning; agency labour in logistics operations; subcontracted car-washes cleaning company vehicles; construction workers building and renovating company premises; outsourced security staff. A catalogue of the casualised workforce, in other words. It is hardly surprising that the most egregious forms of exploitation should appear where economic, legal and moral responsibility has been deliberately diffused. Modern slavery is the flipside of the coin that has seen corporates offshore their profits and dodge tax. Both represent a sloughing-off of what were seen in the past as important obligations to society.
UK police rescue nine suspected victims of slavery from British trawlers
Then there are the more specific areas of production, where big high-street retailers' statements acknowledge that forced or trafficked labour, often of refugees, is a well-known and recurring issue: the British and Irish fishing fleets, the UK meat and poultry processing industry, Leicester garment manufacturing, the Thai prawn supply chain, the Italian tomato industry, the Spanish horticulture sector, the Assam tea chain, and the Turkish garment sector.

Separate from corporate reporting, the Gangmaster and Labour Abuse Authority was given powers in April 2017 to investigate exploitation beyond its original narrow remit of food and agriculture. The more it looks, the more it finds, and some of this new activity accounts for the increasing numbers of suspected victims of modern slavery. (Another factor is the statutory defence introduced in the Modern Slavery Act for those forced into criminal activity such as drug dealing: increasing use of that defence in drug cases probably accounts for British victims unusually making up the largest number by nationality this year. Albania, Vietnam, China, Nigeria, Romania, Sudan, Eritrea, India and Poland make up the rest of the top 10 source countries.)

The main concentrations the GLAA sees are among migrant workers in hand carwashes, nail bars, domestic building projects such as basement excavations, the hospitality trade, hotel cleaning, takeaway restaurants and domestic cleaning.

How did slavery, which we thought was abolished, reach into our everyday consumption? While it is quite right that companies should have their reputational feet held to the fire for abuse that arises out of their economic model, there are also uncomfortable truths here for affluent consumers of personal services.

Things that were until recently luxuries - manicures, clothes that change fashion every few weeks, regular holiday breaks to hotels, eating out frequently, having your car hand-valeted, using manual labour to dig out a basement under your house - are now presented to us as affordable, everyday even. Where they have become so, it is in large part thanks to other people being badly paid at best, or victims of modern slavery at worst. The squeezed middle has been bought off by the illusion that it can share the consuming habits of those with runaway incomes at the top; but it can't - not without squeezing those further down the chain.

If you are being offered a service for much less than you would expect to pay for it, someone is being exploited

In a world where the state has often absented itself from the enforcement of employment law, and where so many human interactions are reduced to financial exchanges at whatever rate the market will take, people have become commodities to use or sell. When competition and austerity are king, it is every man and woman for themselves and their family. Too often, we close our eyes and try to protect our own.

People-traffickers target the vulnerable - including those with learning disabilities or raised in care, homeless people, those with alcohol and drug problems or previous convictions. They are the people easiest to control and least likely to attract sympathy. Anti-immigration sentiment has encouraged people to see these victims as foreign, as "other". How else to explain why neighbours, work colleagues and customers so often fail to notice modern slavery?

Take the group of trafficked Lithuanians working brutal hours on egg farms around the country who were kept under control in their Kent ganghouses by threats and fighting dogs. What did farm managers and local residents on the same quiet streets see and hear? Alarming antisocial behaviour, and fights in a foreign language that made them want to turn away and keep their heads down, or fellow human beings suffering intolerable abuse and anaesthetising themselves from the trauma with drink?

Both the National Audit Office and the parliamentary select committee for work and pensions have highlighted serious shortcomings in the support for victims of modern slavery once they have been identified. The anti-slavery commissioner, Kevin Hyland, also pointed out to the committee that every time a suspected victim of slavery is referred to the national referral mechanism, a crime is being alleged. Yet there is only a one-in-four chance of these cases being recorded as a potential crime, let alone investigated. If there were 4,000 rapes in the UK and only one in four was recorded by the police, there would be an outcry, he said. These failings need state remedies.

Meanwhile, we all need to recognise the signs. Where workers are putting in excessive hours, where they have no language to communicate with customers or where employers seem quick to speak for them, where they live in houses of multiple occupancy, we should be alert to the possibility of modern slavery.

If you are being offered a service for much less than you would expect to pay for it, someone is almost certainly being exploited. A car wash that takes six men 15 minutes and costs £10 does not pay the legal minimum wage. If something seems too cheap to be true, it probably is.

* Felicity Lawrence is a special correspondent for the Guardian
Topics

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How did we let modern slavery become part of our everyday lives? | Felicity Lawrence

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Since the Modern Slavery Act of 2015, British companies over a certain size have been required to report on slavery in their supply chains. Their statements are both shocking and admirable. Shocking because they make clear that the incidence of slavery has become normalised once again - and not just in criminal operations such as the illegal drugs trade or trafficking for prostitution, but in the mainstream economy.

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Banksy's child labour sweatshop intro to the Simpsons

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Modern Slavery

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Personal account of child slavery with links back to original site

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Personal account of child slavery with links back to original site

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https://www.freetheslaves.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Survivor-Stories-Francis.pdf

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https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/human-trafficking-in-scotland-14874652

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Ideas for a full lesson
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/0703/070327-slavery.html

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BBC forced marriage

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https://www.antislavery.org/slavery-today/modern-slavery/

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Website listing different companies and brands

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Website listing different companies and brands

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http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/boycotts/boycottslist.aspx

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Chelsea's choice

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/02/modern-slavery-daily-life-exploitation-goods-services

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https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=documentary+modern+slavery&&view=detail&mid=8D31433895CB6A0CAC388D31433895CB6A0CAC38&&FORM=VRDGAR

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Some of the world's biggest car makers including Vauxhall, BMW, Volkswagen and Audi are launching investigations into their paint supply chains after the Guardian linked their suppliers to illegal mines in India where child labour and debt bondage are widespread.

Children as young as 10 work at mines for mica, a mineral that creates the shimmery car paint used on millions of vehicles around the world.

Although largely unknown to consumers, mica is highly valued for its ability to reflect and refract light. In 2014, the cosmetics industry came under fire for child labour in its mica supply chains, but mica is also widely used by other global industries.

The Indian government has pledged to stamp out child labour in its mica industry, with a small number of official mica mines now monitored for labour and environmental abuses.

Yet illegal mining remains widespread, with child rights campaigners estimating that up to 20,000 children work in hundreds of small-scale mines in northern Jharkhand and southern Bihar.

On visits this year to illegal mines in the Tisri subdistrict in the Indian state of Jharkhand, the Guardian documented children aged 12 mining mica underground in hazardous, leaking mineshafts, hammering glittering rock flakes from walls and carrying heavy loads through slippery tunnels. Above ground, girls as young as 10 were sorting mica from other mined material.

The Guardian has traced mica from three mines in Tisri subdistrict to three Indian exporters: Mohan Mica, Pravin and Mount Hill. One of their biggest customers is Fujian Kuncai, a Chinese company, whose website listed (pdfs now removed) customers including cosmetics giants L'Oréal and Proctor & Gamble as well as PPG and Axalta, two of the leading companies in the world's $19bn car paint industry.

Many of these children work in mines alongside their parents and siblings, for whom the mine is the only source of income. Many families are bonded to the mines by large debts owed to local moneylenders or mine owners who charge up to 200% annual interest.

Glittering clouds of tiny mica particles swirl around 13-year-old Dharini* as she carries rocks of mica from the mineshaft to where groups of younger children are sorting through piles on the ground.

She says she has worked at mines, carved out of the mountainous hillside, for as long as she can remember and has never gone to school.

"I've been helping my mother here at the mine every day because they need my help for the money," she says. Along with her mother, Dharini gets paid about £5 a week for six days of work.

Her mother, Basanti, has also spent her life working at mines. "Every evening we feel ill after work with nausea and it is difficult to breathe because of the dust but we have no choice, this is the only work."

When asked if her child goes to school, she said: "My daughter works with me because we need the money to keep the family going."

A few hours away, at another mine, more children are working alongside their families. Simitra, a 45-year-old mother of two, says the family are all working simply to try to cover the interest on a £200 loan they took out in 2014 after her husband contracted tuberculosis.

None of the families who work here know where the mica they scrape from the rock walls ends up, nor that they are the first link in multiple complex global supply chains stretching around the world.

"Natural mica goes into numerous products without anyone realising, since it is not listed as ingredient in car paints, decorative paints, plastic products, hairdryers, toasters and much more. Child labour is a part of our everyday life but no one knows about it," said AyselSabahoglu, children's rights officer of Terre des Hommes Netherlands, a Dutch NGO that works to protect children's rights.

Campaigners say it is impossible to differentiate between mica from legal mines and from the hundreds of small-scale illegal mines in northern Jharkhand and southern Bihar.

India officially produced about 19,000 tonnes of crude and scrap mica in 2013-14, yet it exported more than six times as much - about 128,000 tonnes - according to the latest data (pdf) from the Ministry of Mines.

Mica from illegal mines is sold to networks of local traders, who sell the mineral to Indian export companies. The mica is next transported to Kolkata and shipped to foreign companies who then transform the mica into the pearlescent pigments used in industry.

In emails to the Guardian, Axalta and PPG confirmed that they use natural mica in their paint products. Axalta also confirmed that it sources pearlescent pigments from Fujian Kuncai. PPG declined to say whether it is a Kuncai customer, stating: "As a matter of policy, PPG does not discuss its relationships with specific suppliers."

PPG and Axalta sell to leading car companies. When contacted by the Guardian, some car firms said they were looking into their suppliers in the light of the allegations. BMW, which owns the Mini brand, said its investigations had found two suppliers with direct links to Kuncai and that an internal investigation had been launched.

Fujian Kuncai said it was conducting extensive inquiries into its three Indian suppliers named in the investigation.

"It is a shock to us that three of our suppliers are mentioned ... and that [the Guardian] has linked them to mines involved in child labour," said Mike Tijdink, European marketing manager for Fujian Kuncai.

"For us it is totally unacceptable that child labour is present in our supply chain and we will act accordingly. The insights presented in your [investigation] differ from our findings over the past years, as our audits on the locations and agreements with our suppliers exclude any involvement in this respect."

Axalta said: "Fujian Kuncai is a supplier to Axalta ... Axalta does use some natural mica that goes into the pearlescent pigments used in certain paint formulations. The Axalta standard contract template and terms of purchase - which are in place with Fujian Kuncai - stipulate that its suppliers are prohibited from using forced labour.

"It goes on to require that suppliers comply with all applicable laws, codes, rules, regulations, orders and ordinances, including those relating to environmental protection, energy, and labour and all applicable industry codes and standards."

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In this photograph from 2013, seven-year-old Karulal works with his father in a mica mine. Photograph: Peter Bengtsen

A PPG spokesperson said: "PPG does not tolerate the use of improper labour practices by any supplier. PPG's supplier code of conduct prohibits the use of child labour, and indicates that suppliers shall adhere to the minimum employment age limit defined by national law or regulation, and shall comply with relevant International Labour Organisation standards."

Although mica is also mined in China, the US and Europe, Jharkhand and Bihar account for an estimated 25% of the world's total production. About 60% of mica mined in these states is made into pearlescent pigments for export.

Phil Bloomer, executive director of the Business & Human Rights Centre, said companies using natural mica from India must start to acknowledge the risk of products from illegal unregulated mines entering their supply chains.

"There is a huge gap in what India apparently produces and actually exports - clearly indicating existence of illegal mining and operations," he said.

"Nobody wants the curse of forced and child labour in their supply chains, but, with large-scale hidden production, it takes a lot more than a simple audit of your apparent 'supplier' to eliminate modern slavery from your supply chain. Too many companies are buying with one eye open to the price, and the other closed to the abuse."

Fujian Kuncai said its suppliers must sign a contract that no children work in factories or mines. It has contributed £500,000 to a project with Terre des Hommes that aims to eradicate child labour in mica communities in Jharkhand over three years.

* Identities of those interviewed at the mines protected

Car company responses

Volkswagen (which owns Audi):

Child labour is prohibited by our sustainability standards and is not tolerated by the Volkswagen Group ... Our paint suppliers have assured our ad hoc team that they are compliant with our sustainability standards. Some of our suppliers have confirmed a business relationship with the Chinese company Kuncai. We are engaging with these relevant suppliers to further evaluate the allegations and investigate whether or not a corrective action plan shall be implemented.

Vauxhall (part of GM group):

GM expects our suppliers to be fair, humane and lawful employers, and to enforce similar requirements from their sub-suppliers. These expectations are outlined in GM's standard purchase contract terms and conditions, which reinforce our zero-tolerance policy against the use of child labour, abusive treatment of employees or corrupt business practices in the supply of goods and services to GM. GM will conduct a full investigation of these suppliers regarding the allegations.

BMW:

"Our supply chain response team is investigating your claim. Initial findings suggest that two of our suppliers may indeed obtain materials indirectly from Fujian Kuncai Fine Chemicals Co. Ltd. In accordance with our guidelines, we have asked these two suppliers to respond to these allegations ... The BMW Group does not tolerate child labour in its supply chain. If the allegations are substantiated, we will do everything to ensure that the company involved is no longer part of our supply chain in the future.

Topics

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Vauxhall and BMW among car firms linked to child labour over glittery mica paint

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Some of the world's biggest car makers including Vauxhall, BMW, Volkswagen and Audi are launching investigations into their paint supply chains after the Guardian linked their suppliers to illegal mines in India where child labour and debt bondage are widespread.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-25986388

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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2018/jun/29/the-trap-sex-trafficking-american-prisons

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https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/forced-marriage-unit-statistics-2017