#bonded labor

In a world where childhood often evokes images of joy and carefree exploration, the story of Iqbal Masih stands out as a poignant reminder of resilience and courage. Iqbal’s life was marked by hardship and exploitation, but also by an extraordinary spirit that defied the odds to advocate for child labor abolition. This article delves into the life of Iqbal Masih, his fight against child labor,…

बंधुआ मजदूर किसे कहते हैं?

प्रस्तावना :- श्रमिकों की विभिन्न श्रेणियां हैं – कुछ स्थायी श्रमिक हैं, कुछ अस्थायी हैं, और कुछ आकस्मिक हैं। इनमें बंधुआ मजदूर की एक श्रेणी है। इसमें वे श्रमिक या मजदूर शामिल हैं जो देश में घोर गरीबी और गुलामी के गवाह हैं, यह बंधुआ मजदूरी प्रथा बहुत प्राचीन है। प्राचीन काल में गरीब लोग अपने भोजन की आवश्यकता को पूरा करने के लिए सेठ-साहूकारों से कर्ज लिया करते थे और जब तक वह कर्ज चुकाया नहीं जाता…

झालावाड़: माता-पिता उधार पर दे रहे अपने बच्‍चों का बचपन, रेबाडी करवा रहे बंधुआ मजदूरी का काम

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झालावाड़ (Jhalawar) से गुजरने वाले रेबाड़ी काफिले (Rebari Convoys) छोटे बच्‍चों को अपनी भेड़ (Sheep) चराने के लिए अनुबंध (Contract) पर रखते हैं. झालावाड़ (Jhalawar) से गुजरने वाले रेबाड़ी काफिले (Rebari Convoys) छोटे बच्‍चों को अपनी भेड़ (Sheep)…

भीलवाड़ा में आज भी हो रहा बंधुआ मजदूरी जैसा घिनौना काम

jaipurnewstoday.com के लिए भीलवाडा से सुरेश चन्द्र शब्द की रिपोर्ट….

जंहा एक तरफ देश में आम लोकसभा चुनाव के जरिये लोकतंत्र का उत्सव मनाया जा रहा हैं, वंही दूसरी तरफ राजस्थान के भीलवाडा जिले में हजारों लोग बंधुआ मजदूर (Bonded Labor) बनकर गुलामी में जीने को विवश हैं। सरकार और प्रशासन की गरीब विरोधी नीतियों के कारण आज भी मजदूर अपनी मूलभूत सुविधाओं से वंचित हैं।

भीलवाडा जिले के सैकड़ों ईंट…

According to some recent reports, districts around Chennai such as Tiruvannamalai, Tiruvalluar, Vellore, and Kancheepuram remain as a belt of bonded labor in Tamil Nadu. Bonded labor is also practice in other parts of Tamil Nadu. A vast majority of them toil for 15-18 hours a day and seven days a week, for daily wages that are as low as Rs.20, in places like agricultural farms, rice mills, brick kilns, stone quarries, crushing mines, even construction industry, and textile mills.

Those born into bonded labor and also those bound by debts live an estranged life of indebtedness. According to a survey undertaken by International Justice Mission (IJM), debt is the main reason for bonded labor. Nearly 70.7% of bonded laborers were working to repay their loans, most of which even lesser than Rs.5000. The sad part is, these loans that have bound them were taken to buy food for their families.

Studies have identified that bonded laborers are mostly from Scheduled Castes (86%) and Scheduled Tribes (13%) communities. Illiteracy and lack of skills - therefore lack of job opportunities - keeps them vulnerable to middlemen, who lure them into bonded labor by paying a paltry sum as advance. In a way, basic survival needs drive them into this modern slavery. As families; men, women, and children enter this quagmire until they get rescued, but then some voluntarily return to bonded labor as they may have no other skills to rely upon, while many of them feel compelled to get back, threatened by middlemen and contractors. The government assured sum of Rs.20,000, upon release, may never reach their hands. Swindlers in the system may gobble them up. With no identity and address on record, and with no legal support, their legitimate claims could make no sense, unless some welfare organizations or individuals took some extraordinary efforts to help them.

Recently, Union Labor Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, in a written reply to Rajya Sabha said that the government had prepared a perspective vision document for the total abolition of bonded labor. He stated that the government envisages to rehabilitate an estimated number of 1.84 crore bonded laborers along with cent percent conviction of people who are keeping them in bondage.

A release from the ministry proposes an increase in the quantum of financial assistance from the annual budget of Rs.5 Crore to Rs.47 Crore and cash assistance from Rs.20,000 to Rs.One Lakh. The release also quotes the statement of the Labor Minister, who has said, "Under this new package the money will remain in an annuity account, controlled by the District Magistrate and a monthly earning will flow to the beneficiary account for his/her comfortable living. The corpus remains untouched until decided by the DM."

But how well the rehabilitation of bonded laborers would happen is something we may have to wait and watch. The world of bondage is a shadowy world. Its players operate in nexus with moles in the flawed system. If they are going to be just booked and bailed out by law, with no conviction, the perpetrators of such crimes would still be at large, enslaving new victims. Whereas, if state administrations across the country could show some sincerity in purpose, they will be able to go on a spree of raids, slap charges on these inhumane criminals and rescue gullible people perishing in the dark alleys of human civilization. Every product that comes out for human utility and consumption should carry a labeling that says the product is free from human abuse in the form of bonded labor. And as far as rehabilitation is concerned, mere cash distribution may not help bonded laborers to embrace a new life of free labor. Real freedom for them would be acquiring a skill and job opportunities that will remunerate them sufficiently to provide their families fulfillment of basic needs and comforts. And it's about time our system acts with a sense of urgency to alleviate the distress of these people.

Article by Ajay Kumar Jagadeesh

Hi Tumblrinos. Like most of us, I’m spinning with this news that The X Files may be over. And I’m full of wild speculation and theories that I would LOVE to spout off about on here for hours, but instead, I’ll try to do something more productive. Today has been dubbed “Giving Tuesday,” and so I would like to tell you about a charity I give to which is close to my heart.

Like @chewiesgirlfriend, the issue of sex slavery and human trafficking horrified me when I began to learn about it several years ago. At a conference I attended in 2006, a woman named Sharon spoke about her work as a legal advisor to a justice department in a city in India, and how she provided investigative assistance to the police forces involved in fighting human trafficking there. She talked about the need to assist potential victims of trafficking (which is what charity efforts like TaughtNotTrafficked and Childreach International do), but she also explained that much of the sexual slavery that is going on around the world is happening in countries in which those actions are already against the law.

She explained that one of the problems in trafficking is that local law enforcement is either corrupt, inexperienced or under-resourced to fight against these crimes. She, as a trained lawyer, goes into these communities to help conduct investigations and assist the justice system in bringing charges against those perpetrating violence. She explained that one of the reasons that trafficking thrives is because perpetrators are rarely prosecuted. So, there can be a massive positive effect in a community if the existing laws are simply enforced. Enforcement has the effect of cutting off the trafficking industry at its source.

The organization that Sharon works for is called International Justice Mission and I’ve been contributing to their work for 8 or 9 years now. They help fund legal assistance and investigative work around the globe for issues of sexual slavery, but also against bonded labor, unjust working conditions, etc. They also invest heavily in victim assistance and rehabilitation. It is truly amazing and very strategic work.

IJM founder, Gary Haugen, gave an excellent TED talk that explains its approach to poverty, which you can watch here. (He talks specifically about human trafficking beginning at 10 min and 17 min): http://www.ted.com/talks/gary_haugen_the_hidden_reason_for_poverty_the_world_needs_to_address_now#t-1314097

And here is a link to a story about one of their most recent successful projects: http://news.ijm.org/nine-children-under-10-years-old-rescued-from-cybersex-trafficking/?_ga=1.219836058.2049061439.1480445160

(You can also click on my #international justice mission tag for more info)

Slavery still exists in our modern world, often in the form of bonded labor. I am privileged to know people who work for International Justice Mission who are working to right these wrongs. 

She was born in a brick kiln, to a bonded labourer couple. After spending 24 years in the kiln, Ramya (name changed) fled to freedom with her husband, also in bondage, and her infant son, six months ago. On Monday last, the mother and son were hunted down by the employers, who abducted them and confined them to a house. 

Indian tribal communities, like Irular in Tamilnadu experience violation upon their human and citizenship rights the most in the country. Government promotes quite a few beneficial programs for historically disadvantaged castes and tribes but it doesn’t mean that the benefits actually reach the needy. Too often poor people miss out of all the privileges that the state promises them as a help to escape poverty, the reason is the corrupted bureaucratic system that makes it close to impossible for a “small person” to even prove his legal existence. When you are an unregistered person, the authorities don’t have to fulfil your demands, so they don’t.

Irular women in front of the Collector’s office in Kancheepuram

South Asian Village Empowerment supports Irular people’s struggle for basic identity documents and other required legal papers. On early Monday morning, September 28 we accompanied Jagatha, a leader of Irular Women’s Rights Movement and SAVE Intl’s coordinator in Thiruporur block along with 70 Irular mostly women with children to Kancheepuram, the district capital two hours away from Mamallapuram. The original idea was to make a peaceful agitation in front of the Collector’s office but we actually managed to make a point by submitting all the petitions collectively. Irular people are struggling for three main issues: Community certificates and Family cards, Land Registration deeds and Bonded Labor. All the 256 applications from 70 families were submitted together under a collective petition to oblige officials to pay proper attention to them and make it harder to disregard the petitions claiming that papers are lost or misplaced. There were also journalists invited to cover the event to put additional pressure -- publicity does appear to force people to do their jobs… sometimes.

On the way to Kancheepuram

Signing petitions

Irulars in Tamilnadu have been experiencing difficulties in obtaining Community certificates for some decades now. These certificates recognize their existence in the eyes of the government, state which tribe they belong to, hence give them a Scheduled tribe status that oblige the authorities to protect their rights and ensure social benefits provided by law. Community certificates are also mandatory to have for children to finish last two years of high school (11th and 12th grades), for the first ten years of basic education schools don’t require these papers. It means that when the local government officials give Irulars hard time obtaining documents for themselves and their children, they actually deprive children of an opportunity and a right to finish school, not to mention higher education. People who are issued the certificate have an undeniable right to claim reserved seats in colleges and universities to receive higher education and government institutions to get secured and paid jobs. Irulars wait for years to finally get these basic identity documents for their families, only those who persistent and noisy enough are lucky, the rest usually give up after the first attempt.

One of the main reason why Irular people have such difficulties with official documents has to do with the fact that many adult Irulars are illiterate and shy about it, and hesitate to fight for their rights. They have to have a leader who can organize them and help with filling the applications and writing petitions to ensure brighter educated future for their children. There has been recently an article in the Indian Express about 15 Irula families from Unnai village who have finally received community certificates after 30 years of struggle, though the procedure shouldn’t take more than 2 months. In some cases it requires to make a demonstration in front of officials’ offices to get their attention.

Another big issue that Irular community petitions authorities about is Land registration. Irulars used to be nomads, they were forest keepers and snake catchers. In the process of both the Indian government acquiring the lands for infrastructure and increase in reserved forests, Irulars were forced to move out of their natural inhabitation and settle at the outskirts of villages and alongside the roads. Authorities as a compensation for their forced movement provided housing but only for a very few people. For example, Arungundrum MGR Nagar, one of the Irular villages we are supporting was built 70 years ago by government but people who are settled there don’t have any legal claims for the land and can possibly face eviction if it is required for “development”. The concrete houses in the village are not secure anymore, people stay in thatched huts next to them. This example is actually one of better offs, Irulars in other villages are living in much poorer conditions, not to mention the ones who are forced to put their houses alongside the roads without water, electricity and any sanitation (though sanitation is an issue everywhere here). Petitioning government for collective land registration for a village (not even personal housing) is a necessary action to give these people a sense of security about the places that they have settled in, to ensure them that they won’t be chased away when the wind blows the other direction, but it is a long process.

Irular tribe doesn’t have a public face, a political representation to protect and support them. Because Irulars are illiterate and don’t enjoy protection of the officials and generally are very humble people, many of them were forced to debt bondage in agriculture due to lack of alternatives after they lost their main occupation of snake catching in 1970s. Authorities do try to find and release people from exploitative conditions of bonded labor when they become aware of it, but this is all they do, they don’t provide necessary means for people to have a chance to earn decent money or any other kind of support, except 1000 rupees ($15) per person. After being released these people find themselves with no place to stay, no money, they can’t find a paid job and also lack necessary skills for it. Some people have to go back to debt bondage: despite the inhuman conditions and long hours of hard work this is the only way for them to get some money to support their families, and it also in some wicked way gives them assurance of food on the table from time to time. Irular villagers from Jeeva Nagar – another village SAVE Intl supports - are mostly released bonded laborers. They were given the land to stay on by the Communist party of India some decades ago (there is a red flag hanging on the road leading to the village), though also don’t have legal right for it. These Irular people did manage to stay away from debt labor after being released but some of them still work on rice fields nearby for little money.    

An example of a released certificate issued by the local gvernment officials

Right now we are waiting for an official reply to the petitions submitted, ideally issued documents. If there won’t be any actions from authorities the next step is to make noise -- an actual demonstration.

Irular people in front of the Collector’s office in Kancheepuram