Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown

We investigate why the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing migrant workers - the backbone of Malaysia's economy - into hiding.

Hidden away in the COVID-19 pandemic are Malaysia's migrant workers.

For years, they have done the country's most dangerous, dirtiest jobs.

Now, undocumented foreign workers are scared for their future.

Out of work and forced to live in cramped conditions, some are starving and dependent on charities to survive.

America's Pandemic Workers

We examine the coronavirus pandemic's impact on essential workers in the US and the risks to their health and safety.

As COVID-19 surged in the United States and only those deemed "essential workers" were asked to go to work, the pandemic made clear that the workers most critical to American life are disproportionately people of colour, and the country's lowest-paid.

Through video diaries and interviews shared over the course of several months, four of these workers shared their experiences of the pandemic in a country that offers little in the way of a safety net for its most vulnerable workers.

Behind the Glitter: Mica and Child Mining in India

Children in India are being exploited in the dangerous search for mica, the mineral that gives cosmetics their shine.

From nail polish to lipstick, mica is found in cosmetics that millions of people use every day.

But unknown to consumers, the mineral that gives these products their shine is often extracted using antiquated methods in slave-like conditions, in one of the poorest regions of the world.

In the dusty hills of Jharkhand, India, deep crevices have been cleaved into the hard earth. Men, women and children rummage through the dirt, using their bare hands and a few rudimentary tools to scrape the ground.

Fighting Slavery From Space

101 East shows how space technology is helping uncover modern slavery and free bonded workers.

Stretching across India, Pakistan, Nepal, China and Bangladesh, the "brick belt" is a vast area containing hundreds of thousands of kilns that produce countless bricks.

But behind the walls of many of these kilns are slaves - men, women and children forced to work against their will, with no pay and no way out.

They work under the threat of violence, in hot and dusty conditions. If they try to escape, their employers often claim they have debts to repay, forcing them to return.

Chandravati and her four children aged between nine and 20 work at a brick kiln every day. Her children sometimes work at night so they can attend school.

"The owner abuses us, the contractor also abuses us. He says that he doesn't have money. We are all hungry, our kids are hungry!" she says.