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Thursday, November 08, 2007


 

Central Government |  NGOs

   Bonded Labor


   

The genesis of rural poverty in India dates back to the later half of the 18th Century when the erstwhile colonial rulers introduced the Zamindari System. The problem of bonded labor was closely linked to the broader socioeconomic problems of surplus labor, unemployment / under-employment, inequitable distribution of land and assets, low wages, distress migration, social customs etc. 

As per ILO Report on Stopping Forced Labor (2001) - The term (Bonded Labor) refers to a worker who rendered service under condition of bondage arising from economic consideration, notably indebtedness through a loan or an advance.  Where debt is the root cause of bondage, the implication is that the worker (or dependents or heirs) is tied to a particular creditor for a specified or unspecified period until the loan is repaid. 

 

There are two ILO Conventions, Convention No.29 concerning Forced or Compulsory labor (1930) and Convention No. 105 concerning Abolition of Forced Labor (1957).  Government of India has rectified both the Conventions.

Under Article 23 of the Constitution Traffic in human beings and beggar and other similar forms of forced labor are prohibited and any contravention of this provision shall be an offence punishable in accordance with law. Bonded Labor System (Abolition) Ordinance was promulgated. Which was later on replaced by the Bonded Labor System (Abolition) Act, 1976. This Act provides for the abolition of the system of bonded labor. It freed unilaterally all the bonded laborers from bondage with simultaneous liquidation of their debts.

Central assistance of Rs.10 million every year can be sanctioned to every state government to undertake awareness generation activities relating to bonded labor system. The rehabilitation package provided by the concerned Stated Governments for the freed bonded laborers includes Allotment of house-site and agricultural land, Animal husbandry, dairy, poultry, piggery, Training for acquiring new skills, developing existing skills, Supply of essential commodities under targeted public distribution system, Education for children, and Protection of civil rights.

 

Microfinance is simply about bringing banking services in smaller amounts to people who have never had access to any kind of financial services. (Microcredit Is Effective For Women In Self-Employment, Business Line, D. Murali , Nov 08, 2007)

An Observer investigation into children making clothes has shocked the retail giant and may cause it to withdraw apparel ordered . . . . (Child Sweatshop Shame Threatens Gap's Ethical Image, Guardian (UK), Correspondent or Reporter, Oct 30, 2007)

South Asia is a high-volume source, transit and destination region for trafficked persons, according to Gary Lewis, India Representative of the United Nations Office of Drug and Crime (UNODC). ('Police Should Act As Protectors Of The Victims Of Trafficking' , Deccan Herald, Correspondent or Reporter, Oct 29, 2007)

Amitosh concentrates as he pulls the loops of thread through tiny plastic beads and sequins on the toddler’s blouse he is making. (Child Labour Versus Quality Clothing , Dawn, Correspondent or Reporter, Oct 29, 2007)

THE year 2007 being the bicentenary of the 1807 Act of Parliament which, at least formally, abolished slavery in the UK, there have been public celebrations including one in August when Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London, publicly wept when . . . . (From Slavery To Sweat Shops, Dawn, Editorial, Dawn, Sep 11, 2007)

The establishment’s claim that the nuclear deal is “symmetric and reciprocal” turns a blind eye to the overwhelming power of the U.S. vis-À-vis India. (India And The Deal: Partner Or Pawn?, Hindu, Editorial, The Hindu, Sep 07, 2007)

ECONOMY should be in the driving seat in Pakistan, not politics” says Dr Salman Shah, advisor to the prime minister on finance. (Economy’S Primary Role, Dawn, Sultan Ahmed, Sep 06, 2007)

MOHAMMAD Hussain is a 43-year-old labourer with four children. He faces a debt of Rs50,000 and sees no end to his ongoing financial constraints. (To Sell Or Not To Sell An Organ, Dawn, A N Sudarsan Rao , Aug 30, 2007)

Registration of the same worker under two different Acts may lead to confusion. (Neither Here Nor There , Deccan Herald, KATHYAYINI CHAMARAJ, Aug 29, 2007)

The controversy over creation of a railway division in Salem, which resulted in a verbal duel between MPs from Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the Lok Sabha, has now taken an ugly turn with a senior Tamil Nadu minister today announcing that all trains . . . . . (Kerala-Tn Trains To Be Blocked: Minister , Tribune, Arup Chanda, Aug 23, 2007)

Apart from investigating complaints on human rights violations, the commission needs to create awareness about human rights among the masses and also sensitise the authorities, Justice S R Nayak, chairman of the newly constituted Karnataka State . . . . (Basic Rights Are Denied To People By State Itself , Deccan Herald, Editorial, The Deccan Herald, Aug 18, 2007)

Every one thought he was dead. The 2001 Gujarat earthquake had brought the roof down on his classroom. But his mother waited for him for five years. (Lost In The Earthquake At 12, Found At 17, Dead A Year Later , Indian Express, Correspondent or Reporter, Aug 18, 2007)

AS Pakistan celebrates its 60th birthday with some people having almost everything they want, and the rulers having a low public rating, some of the deficiencies have become too glaring. (Absence Of National Integration, Dawn, Sultan Ahmed, Aug 16, 2007)

The indefinite strike by farmers and traders opposing the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2007 – passed by the Karnataka legislature -- has thrown awry the vegetable, fruits and commodities markets across the State. (Allay The Fears , Deccan Herald, Editorial, The Deccan Herald, Aug 06, 2007)

The Prime Minister’s package for farmers in the region has done little to mitigate their distress, and suicides continue to be a way out. (Mirage In Vidarbha, Frontline, DIONNE BUNSHA, Aug 02, 2007)

The Karnataka government’s decision to constitute the State Human Rights Commission with the retired chief justice of Chattisgarh, Justice R S Naik, as its chairman will be welcomed whole-heartedly by every right-thinking person, including . . . . . . (Rights At Last , Deccan Herald, Correspondent or Reporter, Jul 25, 2007)

RECENTLY Piler, which has been conducting useful research on labour issues, released its latest report titled Denial and Discrimination: Labour Rights in Pakistan. (A Grim Outlook For Labour, Dawn, Zubeida Mustafa, Jul 25, 2007)

As we complete 60 years of our independence, we need to analyse if, as a country, we have lived up to the hopes, expectations and aspirations of the people. (School Education In The Country: Need For Uniformity , Deccan Herald, Editorial, The Deccan Herald, Jul 17, 2007)

As many as 1,000 slaves, including many children, may have been sold into labour in central China, enduring maiming and brutality in brick kilns, state media said on Friday, amid an expanding scandal about official neglect. (China's Slavery Scam Exposed , Times of India, Correspondent or Reporter, Jun 16, 2007)

The USA says India has the world's largest human trafficking problem, but, for the fourth consecutive year, it left its ally off a blacklist of nations seen not meeting the minimum standards in fighting the problem of what Washington calls . . . . (Us Warns India, Calls For Swift Action, Tribune, Ashish Kumar Sen, Jun 14, 2007)

 

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