Marble and sandstone from Rajasthan, India, can be found in kitchens, bathrooms and palaces all over the world. The marble that was used to build the Taj Mahal came from marble mines in Rajasthan. Yet, most people are completely unaware of the reality of the 3 million workers who extract the stone. Men, women and children (over 25% of the mineworkers are women and children) work in the mines for at least 10 hours per day and earn 50 to 90 Rs. (USD$1.00-2.00) per day. The mineworkers work in deep open pits where the air is thick with dust from dry drilling and safety equipment is non-existent. There is no drinking water provided, no shade to rest in, no toilets, no first aid kits, and no worker's compensation for accidents. Accidents occur frequently and often mineworkers have no extra money to pay for medical treatment.

About half of the mineworkers have developed lung diseases, such as silicosis, from the dust and the lack of respiratory masks and other precautionary measures. These lung diseases are quickly debilitating and lead to very low life expectancy. Many of the women and children working in the mines are trying to pay off debts passed on to them after their husband or father has become too disabled to work or has died in a mining accident or an occupational disease. The Government of India has passed laws, such as the Mines Act of 1952, to protect mineworkers and make mine owners responsible for the safety of their workers. These laws are not enforced in the least, however, and most of the workers have no idea that they exist. Most mineworkers feel they have little control over their situation and have resigned themselves to these conditions as their destined fate in life.

GRAVIS has been working with mining communities in Jodhpur and Makrana for the last ten years, promoting and advocating for basic human rights for the mineworkers and their families. GRAVIS efforts also provide mineworkers with education on rights, health and safety measures, and focus on alternatives to mining for women and children. GRAVIS works closely with associate partners ZGVS (Zila Gramin Vikas Sansthan) and Health, Environment and Development Consortium (HEDCON) on its initiatives for mining communities. International Development Exchange (IDEX) provides funding for these initiatives.

Organizing Mineworkers for Basic Human Rights

GRAVIS has facilitated the establishment of 4  mineworker's unions. The first was established in Jodhpur in 1996 and the second in Makrana in 2001. Later, 2 unions were set up in Bikaner and badmer. Membership in the unions increases daily and now total over 4,500 members, despite threats from mine owners and the many migrant laborers willing to work under any conditions. These unions have been quintessential in forcing the mine owners to listen to the mineworkers concerns, and mine owners have had no option but to participate in an ongoing discussion on safety and their roles and responsibilities. GRAVIS has also organized workshops to train mineworkers' in first aid, to bring awareness to the laws already in place to protect mineworkers and to promote membership in the mineworkers unions. GRAVIS also organizes street plays to simultaneously entertain and educate the mining communities about the issues of safety, health, and worker's rights.

Mineworker's Union Cooperative Shop

With help from GRAVIS, the Jodhpur mineworkers' union has established 5 cooperative shops in the mining area. The shops are owned and operated by the mineworkers themselves and its gives mineworkers the opportunity to buy and sell food and goods amongst themselves, instead of buying these things from the other shops that are mainly owned by the mine owners. With the cooperative shops, the mineworkers' wages and the profits from the store stay in the hands of the mineworkers.

Alternatives for Women and Children Working in the Mines

Women and children working in the mines face particularly difficult situations, as they work under the same hazardous conditions as the men and also face frequent psychological and physical abuse. GRAVIS focuses on providing children in the mining communities with access to education as a pathway out of working in the mines. 5 primary schools have been established in mining communities thus far, with a total of over 300 children enrolled. GRAVIS, along with ZGVS, has also facilitated the formation of 30 Self-Help Groups of women in mining communities.

Health

An integral part of GRAVIS' mineworker's initiatives is education regarding the prevention of these lung diseases and the identification of patients for treatment. GRAVIS organizes regular awareness camps and health camps in mining communities, and also holds street plays for community education on lung diseases and simultaneous entertainment. GRAVIS is also involved in securing worker's compensation for patients with severe disabilities from work in the mines. Largely due to advocacy by GRAVIS, a State Pneumoconiosis Board was established in to monitor and certify occupational lung disease among laborers for worker's compensation. The board is currently not functioning, however, and GRAVIS and HEDCON are taking legal actions at the state level to force the board into operation.

Advocacy

Together, GRAVIS and HEDCON participate in discussions with government officials, journalists, and other influential people, submit legal cases and petitions for the enforcement of the rules laid out in existing national and state legislation protecting mineworker's rights, and closely document the health and general status of the mineworker's communities in Rajasthan. They also publish Khan Mazdoor, a quarterly newsletter in Hindi for mineworkers, media, local development agencies and the government, as well as Mineworker, an online bulletin in English used to sensitize development agencies and people all over the world about mineworker's issues in Rajasthan. In addition, in early 2004, GRAVIS and HEDCON published a report on child labor in the mines of Rajasthan, entitled "Tales of Woe."