India has the largest number of working children in the world. Whether they are sweating in the heat of stone quarries, working in the fields sixteen hours a day, picking up rags in city streets or hidden away as domestic servants, these children endure miserable and difficult lives. They earn little and are much abused. They struggle to make enough for themselves to eat let alone their family. They do not go to school; more than half of them will never learn the most basic literacy skills. Many of them have been working since the age of four or five, and by the time they reach adulthood they may be irrevocably sick or deformed, they will certainly be exhausted, ‘old’ men and women by the age of forty and are likely to be dead by fifty.

[most prevalent form of slavery]

At least fifteen million of these children are working virtually as slaves. They are trapped in bonded labour, working in servitude in order to pay off a debt. The debt that binds them to their employer is incurred not by the children themselves, but by their relatives or guardians, usually a parent. Some children have even been sold, in effect, in order to pay off the loan.

It’s not just children who are victims. Adults are also trapped in bonded labour. NGOs (non-governmental organisations) with experience in this field believe there could be as many as 20 million people trapped in bonded labour. This is not reflected in official figures; the International Labour Organisation puts the figure much lower, but there is compelling evidence to show that officials are ignoring many cases of bonded labour.

[terms and conditions]

Bonded labour is a form of modern slavery, with debt acting as the chains. Apart from the dreadful working conditions, workers are often exploited by contracts that are unfair with constantly shifting terms and extortionate interest rates. For many, they will never pay off the debt, and particularly in agricultural labour, the debt can be passed from generation to generation within a family.

People can find themselves trapped in bonded labour even without borrowing money. The offer of a job with an advance payment of wages can be very attractive, but in effect it creates a loan so that the worker is now in debt to their employer. Extreme poverty means that the poor are especially vulnerable to this exploitation. Often the work will be many miles away from home, so individuals and groups of people are transported - trafficked.

[outlawed]

Bonded labour is outlawed in India, but it is practised extensively. Why? Firstly, those who keep and control bonded labourers – landlords, factory owners, hotel and restaurant owners, quarry owners, etc.  ̶  are able to bribe officials to ensure that cases are not investigated or do not reach the courts. Secondly, intimidation, threats and actual violence are used to prevent bonded labourers and non-governmental organisations from seeking their legal release. Thirdly, because they are from Dalit and low caste groups, bonded labourers are subjected to discrimination and gross violation of their human rights. Nine out of every ten bonded labourer is a Dalit or Tribal who fall below India’s rigid caste system. Many are illiterate, and could not read their loan or work agreements, even if it was written down. They are unaware of their rights, and are often unable to access legal advice, let alone justice.

DFN UK is calling for an end to bonded labour in India. End Dalit Trafficking. [Read more...]