New Delhi, a core group of the NHRC has suggested a slew of measures for the rights and welfare of bonded labourers, recommending broadening the interpretation of 'human trafficking' to include bonded labor in its ambit and setting up a cell interstate to track them as they migrate between states.
The suggestions were made at a core group meeting chaired by National Human Rights Commission acting chief Vijaya Bharathi Sayani, who stressed that an "integrated and long-term strategy" is needed for the rehabilitation of freed bonded laborers. to ensure their reintegration into society with dignity.
Despite efforts and legal provisions, several people still remain "trapped in forced labor and debt bondage," he said in a statement issued by the CNDH on Friday. Measures to prevent bonded labor should include anti-bonded labor campaigns. public awareness, rights education, adult literacy programs, worker organizing, income generation and vocational skills development, he said.
Several suggestions made during the meeting included the creation of a portal where such informal workers can register to get jobs outside their home states.
Establish an inter-state cell to track bonded laborers migrating between states; formalize the labor contracting mechanism; It was also suggested to broaden the interpretation of human trafficking to include bonded labour. The NHRC could develop a specific mechanism for lodging complaints about bonded labor for expeditious interventions, the core group suggested.
According to the statement, the meeting also suggested that there is a need to sensitize police and district administration officials while addressing bonded labour.
The time gap between rescue, relief and rehabilitation of a bonded laborer should be reduced, while NALSA (National Legal Services Authority) should provide legal assistance to such victims, the statement on the suggestions said. The NHRC convened the core group meeting to discuss the impediments in the abolition of bonded labor and the gaps in its rescue, relief and rehabilitation in the country, he said.
The meeting was also attended by NHRC Secretary General Bharat Lal, senior officials, experts and human rights defenders.
"The NHRC has taken important steps, including issuing notices to identify, release and rehabilitate bonded labourers. However, the persistence of bonded labor in various industries indicates that much more needs to be done. Bonded labor has various names extending to non-agricultural sectors, including the Devadasi system and small scale industries," the statement said. Lal emphasized the need for concrete suggestions to abolish the menace of bonded labor and said that India still has value systems that provide an ethical push to address this issue.
Therefore, while implementing legal provisions, social awareness about value systems that protect the rights and dignity of human beings should be spread to reduce bonded labor in India, he said .
Lal also noted that nearly two million people join the Indian workforce every year, implying that there is a "mismatch between supply and demand" when it comes to work, leading to some "practices." anti-human labor practices." Recently, the Commission took suo motu knowledge of a multinational that hired its workers for 10 hours of continuous work. Nowadays, companies that provide delivery services also sometimes put the lives of their executives at risk by guaranteeing 15-minute deliveries and similar services, thus negatively impacting an entire generation. Domestic workers also fall under the same ambit, according to the statement.
Earlier, giving an overview of the core group meeting, joint secretary Devendra Kumar Nim said many children from distressed migrant families end up as bonded laborers in sectors like textiles, firecracker manufacturing, ovens bricks and granite extraction units.
"Women and children from marginalized communities, especially SC and ST, are frequently subjected to bonded labor in agriculture and textiles. A study showed that 83 per cent of rehabilitated bonded laborers belong to SC or ST. The Rescued bonded laborers face threats and delays in registering first information reports (FIRs), complicating their path to justice," he said. The agenda of the meeting focused on three technical issues: existing constitutional and statutory provisions on the bonded labor and its implementation; presence of bonded labor in industry with specific mention of agriculture, textile industry and brick factory establishments; and the situation of women and children as frequent targets of bonded labor.
The NGO representatives advocated for NGO involvement in rescues and better implementation of SOPs and reporting by gram panchayats, he said.
The Commission said it will further discuss various suggestions and inputs in the matter to reaffirm its recommendations to the government.
The suggestions were made at a core group meeting chaired by National Human Rights Commission acting chief Vijaya Bharathi Sayani, who stressed that an "integrated and long-term strategy" is needed for the rehabilitation of freed bonded laborers. to ensure their reintegration into society with dignity.
Despite efforts and legal provisions, several people still remain "trapped in forced labor and debt bondage," he said in a statement issued by the CNDH on Friday. Measures to prevent bonded labor should include anti-bonded labor campaigns. public awareness, rights education, adult literacy programs, worker organizing, income generation and vocational skills development, he said.
Several suggestions made during the meeting included the creation of a portal where such informal workers can register to get jobs outside their home states.
Establish an inter-state cell to track bonded laborers migrating between states; formalize the labor contracting mechanism; It was also suggested to broaden the interpretation of human trafficking to include bonded labour. The NHRC could develop a specific mechanism for lodging complaints about bonded labor for expeditious interventions, the core group suggested.
According to the statement, the meeting also suggested that there is a need to sensitize police and district administration officials while addressing bonded labour.
The time gap between rescue, relief and rehabilitation of a bonded laborer should be reduced, while NALSA (National Legal Services Authority) should provide legal assistance to such victims, the statement on the suggestions said. The NHRC convened the core group meeting to discuss the impediments in the abolition of bonded labor and the gaps in its rescue, relief and rehabilitation in the country, he said.
The meeting was also attended by NHRC Secretary General Bharat Lal, senior officials, experts and human rights defenders.
"The NHRC has taken important steps, including issuing notices to identify, release and rehabilitate bonded labourers. However, the persistence of bonded labor in various industries indicates that much more needs to be done. Bonded labor has various names extending to non-agricultural sectors, including the Devadasi system and small scale industries," the statement said. Lal emphasized the need for concrete suggestions to abolish the menace of bonded labor and said that India still has value systems that provide an ethical push to address this issue.
Therefore, while implementing legal provisions, social awareness about value systems that protect the rights and dignity of human beings should be spread to reduce bonded labor in India, he said .
Lal also noted that nearly two million people join the Indian workforce every year, implying that there is a "mismatch between supply and demand" when it comes to work, leading to some "practices." anti-human labor practices." Recently, the Commission took suo motu knowledge of a multinational that hired its workers for 10 hours of continuous work. Nowadays, companies that provide delivery services also sometimes put the lives of their executives at risk by guaranteeing 15-minute deliveries and similar services, thus negatively impacting an entire generation. Domestic workers also fall under the same ambit, according to the statement.
Earlier, giving an overview of the core group meeting, joint secretary Devendra Kumar Nim said many children from distressed migrant families end up as bonded laborers in sectors like textiles, firecracker manufacturing, ovens bricks and granite extraction units.
"Women and children from marginalized communities, especially SC and ST, are frequently subjected to bonded labor in agriculture and textiles. A study showed that 83 per cent of rehabilitated bonded laborers belong to SC or ST. The Rescued bonded laborers face threats and delays in registering first information reports (FIRs), complicating their path to justice," he said. The agenda of the meeting focused on three technical issues: existing constitutional and statutory provisions on the bonded labor and its implementation; presence of bonded labor in industry with specific mention of agriculture, textile industry and brick factory establishments; and the situation of women and children as frequent targets of bonded labor.
The NGO representatives advocated for NGO involvement in rescues and better implementation of SOPs and reporting by gram panchayats, he said.
The Commission said it will further discuss various suggestions and inputs in the matter to reaffirm its recommendations to the government.
