As an abolitionist, writer, and founder of a non-profit to support survivors of modern slavery, I too still find myself often shocked and left in wonderment at where slavery can be seen. I know it has no face, can happen to anyone, occurs everywhere and is almost like a shape-shifter in its ability to come in any form, yet I have to be honest I missed this one in my conscious effort to be as aware and slave free in my daily life. I buy fair trade coffee, tea, chocolate and sugar as my regular staples, as well I try to do the same when I buy clothes, accessories, sports equipment, and I reuse and recycle as much as I can. But there is one place that even I didn’t stop to think about slavery being in the supply chain…my make-up!
Deep in the jungle of Jharkhand state in eastern India, at the end of a rutted track passable only by motorbike, a six-year-old girl named Sonia sat in the scorching midday sun, sifting jagged stones in an open-cast mine in the hope of earning enough money for a meal. Sonia was halfway through her working day and she was already exhausted and dishevelled. Her hair was matted and her pretty flower-patterned dress spoilt by dust. She barely had enough energy to glance at her eight-year-old cousin Guri, toiling intently beside her as they searched the stones for pieces of mica… If the girls spotted enough mica, they might earn 63p each for a 12-hour day. If they found none, they would probably go hungry.(Times)
They say there is a price to be paid for beauty, they just didn’t tell us that the price would have to be paid by children. Now when you put on your silver simmer eyeshadow for that big night out, will you wonder if children forced to make that color that just makes your eyes pop? I know I sure will!