Overview
What is Mica Mining?
Madagascar is the best sender of sheet mica, accompanying 87% of Madagascar mica exported to China, place mica production parties produce high-quality mica brand for the all-encompassing radios and car industries, many of that are exported to the U.S. retail. Poor occupied environments, economic use, and energy and security risks to two together workers and society appendages are apparent in the mica societies. The majority of mica excavating happens in the ultimate marginalized societies of Madagascar. Approximately 10,000 Malagasy children, as young as age 4, introduce the worst form of baby labor alongside their classifications to extract mica in consideration of survival. These sensitive minors frequently face never-ending food anxiety. Mica mining forces children into a cycle of poverty where they lack basic rights of children and are unable to access help. The majority of the mica mines are illegal, and yet the workers are not getting aid.
Causes
What is causing mica mining in Madagascar to be so abusive?
Children comprise as much as 62% of the overall mining workforce, researchers found, with miners descending deep into the ground to cut the mica by hand. Children are wanted by these mining companies because their size allows them to get further into the mines. Not to mention that they can be used without knowing what their rights are, and they are too young to take initiative to fight for themselves. Drought, instability, and extreme poverty in southern regions of Madagascar, where the mica mines are located, force entire families to descend to the mines together to scavenge, dig, and process the mineral artisanally. Going into narrow tunnels and caves is necessary in order to extract mica; children can fit into them more easily than adults, which constitutes the main reason for the widespread use of kids in mica mining. Of course, desperately trying to take advantage of any possibility to earn money is another key driver of the problem. Without the contribution of children to the family wage, many would not meet their basic needs.
Effects
What are the effects which mica mining has on children?
Illegal mica mining is associated with numerous dangers to the health and safety of children. Constant exposure to dust can trigger respiratory illnesses, and spending hours digging in soil with their bare hands puts them at risk of skin infections and cuts. Moreover, the mines frequently collapse, threatening lives. Older children may have to enter mines and help to transport pieces of the mineral and are at risk of being caught in a collapse. All of them work long hours and are often completely unable to attend school. In Madagascar, sexual exploitation of young girls in mining communities has also been found to occur due to the relative wealth and power of the mica traders that come through their villages. Because of their wealth and power, there is nothing which the poor mining families can do to seek help for the young girls or fight back. When the mining shafts cave in, children get trapped under the rocks, and with the mines being unsupervised, there is no way to get adequate help in time. Families live in constant fear of losing their children, and since mining mica is unregulated, they are not eligible for any compensation when accidents happen. People living in the vicinity of mines are aware of the risks, but with no other livelihood options, working illegally is better than not working at all. Still, growing up mining mica instead of getting an education deprives children of a happy childhood and limits their future employment opportunities. Many children have died and seen their family members die on the mines. All for just a wage of between 41 and 81c (NZD) per day, depending on how much they can dig up. 1kg of mined mica will get the miners $1.30 (NZD) but will get $1620 (NZD) on the international market.
Rights of a child articles
Article 2 and how it is breached
"All children have these rights, no matter who they are, where they live, what their parents do, what language they speak, what their religion is, whether they are a boy or girl, what their culture is, whether they have a disability, whether they are rich or poor. No child should be treated unfairly on any basis." Whilst Article 2 states that all children in the world regardless of their background are deserving of these rights, the children of Madagascar work in mica mines without the ability to exercise these rights. It is as though because of where they live, the adults of their country and the world are able to turn a blind eye to these children. Therefore, there is a difference across countries of how children have access to and can exercise these rights. This must be addressed and changed in order for a future where kids in Madagascar can and across the world are safe.
Article 32 and how it is breached
"You have the right to protection from work that harms you and is bad for your health and education. If you work, you have the right to be safe and paid fairly." Children engaged in mica mining face numerous dangers and risks, such as working in unsafe conditions, exposure to toxic substances, physical injuries, and long hours of labor that prevent them from accessing education and hinder their overall development. These practices directly contradict the principles of Article 32, as they subject children to economic exploitation and expose them to hazardous work, undermining their rights to education, health, and a safe environment.
Article 39 and how it is breached
"You have the right to help if you've been hurt, neglected, or badly treated." Article 39 is breached by Madagascan authorities falling short when protecting children by lack of enforcement and inadequate monitoring and oversight. The authorities have failed to effectively enforce existing laws and regulations that prohibit child labor and protect children's rights. This lack of enforcement allows the mica mining industry to continue employing child laborers without facing consequences, perpetuating the exploitation and harm suffered by these children. There is a lack of sufficient monitoring and oversight mechanisms to identify and address instances of child labor in mica mining. This failure to closely monitor mining operations, especially in remote areas, allows child labor to go unnoticed and unchecked.