"Tainted Stones: Bonded Labor and Child Labor in the India-U.S. Sandstone Supply Chain", August 2020

The Center urges the government of India to ensure the effective implementation of laws to reduce and penalize bonded labor, child labor, sexual harassment, and caste discrimination.

Three million workers are employed in India’s sandstone mining industry on a seasonal basis, with nearly 90% of India’s sandstone being produced in the state of Rajasthan. The government of Rajasthan has issued thousands of mining licenses and leases, however there is a thriving unregulated and unlicensed market as well. The United States is the fourth largest importer of Indian sandstone, with a total import of 97 million pounds valued at US$ 16.7 million.

Evidence-based research has shown serious human rights violations committed in the sandstone industry in Rajasthan.