A new Guardian investigation put a spotlight on the children who toil in illegal Indian mines to supply minerals to some of the world’s biggest car makers. Vauxhall, BMW, Volkswagen, and Audi have all been implicated.

These manufacturers source mica, a mineral used for shimmery car paint, from a mining industry that employs up to 20,000 children working in illegal small scale mines.

We’re demanding these car companies investigate their supply chains and abolish child labour. But to force such an industry shift, we’ll need a multi-pronged approach. That’s why we’re coming together to ask The Guardian to help isolate bad brands and refuse to run their ads until their supply chains are cleaned up.

Ask The Guardian to stop running ads from BMW and other car manufacturers linked to child labour.

The Guardian documented children as young as 12 labouring in hazardous, leaking mineshafts. Meanwhile, girls as young as 10 were above ground sorting mica from other minerals.  

Some mines employ entire families who are bonded to mines through debt to mine owners and local moneylenders. Charging up to 200% annual interests, the mica industry holds such parents, and their children, in cycles of debt and exploitation.

We know when we come together, we have the power to hold entire industries accountable -- like in 2014 when cosmetics industry leaders like LUSH removed mica from its products altogether. We need the same commitment from car manufacturers. That’s why we’re asking The Guardian to join the fight and pull ads from car manufacturers with links to child labour.