The Dirty Secrets of Mining

Thirteen-year old Sanjay Chhetri has a dark, recurring fear: That one day, the gloomy mine that he toils in for 12 hours a day will cave in and bury him alive.

Sanjay is one of thousands of children who begin their work in the narrow mining tunnels of the Indian Northeast, starting in the middle of the night. They are, in a horrible and shocking way, perfect to squeeze into the tiny rat-holes that most adults are too big to enter...

Armed with pickaxes and helmets, they descend gingerly into the 50 m chasm, working for hours on end with growling stomachs and aching muscles. Twelve hours later, they leave with $4, less than 1/16 of the minimum wage of the US for twice the time. Think about it.

Child labor is now officially illegal in India, and special mining laws have been put in place in order to ban any children under 18 from working in the mines. However, due to the curse of tradition, districts have been specially exempt from these rules and regulations, thrusting thousands of kids into the terrifying dusk of the coal mines. In fact, it is now estimated that some 700,000 kids are employed in India's mining industry alone, a fact that is more than just a number itself.

Compensation is rarely paid to injured children, and kids are not allowed to talk or socialize with each other at all. They have no friends, and are socially, physically, and emotionally tortured.

Sanjay says, in a desperate plea for a new life - "I need to save money so I can return to school. I miss my friends and I still remember school. I still have my old dreams."