IJM Engages with Media on Bonded Labour, Migration

A Media Roundtable organised by International Justice Mission (IJM) in May 2015 helped strengthen ties with journalists who cover the issue of bonded labour. It was also a great start to a conversation with media persons on the issue. While experts shared their thoughts on bonded labour and migration, the journalists talked from their experience in covering the issue, making special reference to bonded labour in silica mines in Rajasthan and to Bedia women who are forced into commercial sex work.

The closed door discussion between a few journalists and civil society on the topic “Inclusive Development: A Conversation on Migrant and Bonded Labour” took place in New Delhi on May 9, 2015. The small gathering was attended by two media persons from IANS and Tehelka and experts –Umi Daniel (Aide-et-Action) and Shantanu Dutta (International Justice Mission). Vipul Mudgal (Common Cause/Inclusive Media for Change) moderated the discussion.

Mr. Mudgal started the conversation by talking about the issue of distress migration for labour being bigger than immediately gauged, and stated that there were no proper numbers available. He said that mass distress migration for labour, that is changing the rural nightmare of displacement, labour, malnutrition, poverty, abuse and bonded labour into an urban nightmare, stems from the agrarian crisis. In his work, he has found a deep connection between the two as there is a direct continuum of the issues.

Talking about migrant labour issues in Odisha, Mr. Daniel made reference to the December 2013 case of two migrant workers Dayalu and Nilambar whose hands were chopped off by their traffickers. He said that the number of internal migrant labourers was roughly put at 31 crore, but stressed that there is a need to get more accurate information. He said he was concerned that district-level officials are not adequately trained or made aware about bonded labour, leading to their apathy and inability to do something concrete.

Dr. Dutta said that people should be allowed to migrate to seek out better opportunities of livelihood, but not at the cost of being abused or ending up in bonded labour. He said that while the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, is weak in many areas, what makes it weaker is that it is not being implemented as it should be. He spoke about perpetrator accountability being one of the important aspects of what is done at IJM. “We need everyone’s consolidated support to bring this aspect to light. This will enable us to speak up for these laws to be enforced and implemented so that migration for labour purposes can happen in a controlled and non- exploitative manner,” he said.

IJM hopes to continue engaging with these journalists who have a heart to cover the issue on the field.

Shrota Samwad: Media Coverage

BBC Media Action organised the Shrota Samwad (or listeners dialogue) in Jharkhand which was attended by around 300 people from 12 villages in Latehar district. This was covered extensively by the local vernacular media. Some of the reports are attached here:

 

Enslaved For A Generation

Till last month, I had not heard of Banarasi and Darshan Singh, a couple from Punjab who were previously caught in the clutches of bonded labour. Chances are that you still haven’t. Their story, as they retold it for the media at a press conference where I was present and later at a television studio where also I was present, is an astounding tale. Their story is a story of about 22 years of slavery in a Punjab rice mill till they were rescued by Volunteers for Social Justice (VSJ) in June. During these years, as they recounted, they were kept in total confinement with no freedom to even go and drink water without the say-so of a security guard whose job was to keep watch on their movements. Their children were born in slavery and when the time came for their children to be married, the slave owner decided whom they should get married to and the marriage expenses were added to their debt.

Banarsi and Darshan, who were fortunate enough to be rescued and then tell their stories, are not alone. Estimates by experts are that close to 11 million people are enslaved in India as bonded labourers because of a small sum of money that they once took as an advance before circumstances ensured that they could never come out.

Organisations like International Justice Mission (IJM) and others who are part of the Bandhua 1947 Campaign are able to reach out and rescue a tiny number of these. The rest are doomed to continue in slavery unless the provisions of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, are strictly enforced by the state, whose duty it is to ensure that every Indian citizen enjoys their basic human rights – for that is what bonded labour is – a violation of one’s right to live with freedom and dignity.