Tuesday, September 05, 2017

India's Bonded Slaves

Two leading British retailers, John Lewis and Habitat, have pulled a range of luxury granite worktops from sale after rights groups found that many of the labourers mining the rock in southern Indian quarries are victims of modern slavery.

India is the world's top granite producer - accounting for around half of global raw stone exports - and the premium varieties, such as the star galaxy granite pulled from sale by John Lewis, sell online for hundreds of pounds per square metre.

A recent report on workers' rights in quarries in three Indian states by the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN) found more than half of labourers mining granite in these states for tiles, fireplaces and kitchen counters around the world are working in dangerous conditions to repay huge loans - leaving them trapped in a cycle of debt bondage.

About 46 million people are estimated to be enslaved worldwide, with more than 18 million living in India, according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index.

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