Bonded Labour, also known as debt slavery or Debt Bondage, is the pledge of a person’s services as security for the repayment for a debt or other obligation, where the terms of the repayment are not clearly or reasonably stated, and the person who is holding the debt and thus has some control over the labourer, does not intend to ever admit that the debt has been repaid.

 The International Labour Organisation estimates that around 50% of victims of forced labour in the private economy are affected by debt bondage – around 8 million people worldwide. In South Asia it still flourishes in agriculture, brick kilns, mills, mines and factories.

Bonded   labour   arises   through   a   confluence   of   complex   inter-linked   factors. The root of the problem lies in the social customs and economic compulsions which is mentioned below

Social Causes:

• Extreme poverty, hunger and malnutrition in rural regions.
• Immediate  “triggers”  such  as  health  emergencies,  religious  ceremonies,  dowries,  food  shortages  or  the  sudden  loss  of  a  job  or  an  income  earner
• Worker Illiteracy and lack of access to information.
• Discrimination and social exclusion based on religion, ethnicity or caste.
• Dominance of Social Elites.
• Bonder labour is inter-generational; the debts pass on from one generation to next.

Economic Causes:

• Impoverished workers  seek  loans  or  advance  from  an  employer  or  labour  They land in a vicious cycle of debt which the loanee can’t repay.
• Non-availability and accessibility issues of formal credit system to the lowest strata of society.
• Employer monopolies on local financial and labour markets.
• Large presence of private money-lenders who lend at exorbitant rates.

Situation of bonded labour in India:

• The Global Slavery Index 2016 estimated there to be 1.8 crore Indians in modern slavery, including bondedness.
• The International Labour Organisation said there were 1.17 crore bonded labourers in 2014.
• India has the most slaves in the world, according to Global Slavery Index.
• National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data reveals that more than 8,000 cases of human trafficking were reported in 2016. More than half the victims i.e. 54 percent were trafficked for the purpose of forced labour and sexual exploitation.
• There has been no government-led nationwide survey since 1978, despite each district having been given Rs. 4.5 lakh for such surveys.
• Traffickers continue to source labour in socio-economically backward districts, an example being Bolangir in Odisha. Tribals and Dalits remain vulnerable.

Various protections against bonded labour:

 Constitutional: Article 23 of Indian constitution prohibits forced labour (begar) and other similar forms of forced labour.  Any contravention of this provision will be an offence punishable in accordance with law.

Legal: Parliament has enacted Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act in 1976 to curb bonded labour.  To further strengthen the employee’s rights, the Minimum Wages Act, 1948; Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 were enacted. However, the latter are applicable to organized sector of economy. Section 370 of the Indian Penal Code also gives teeth to fight bonded labour.

Recently, the Trafficking of Persons (prevention, protection and Rehabilitation) bill, 2018 was introduced in the Parliament to provide a holistic protection to victims of Bonded Labour.

Way Forward:

• Three Pronged Strategy of ministry of Labour for the abolition of the bonded labour system:
• The Bonded labour Act, 1976 empowers executive magistrates to exercise powers of judicial magistrate of first or second class for trial of offences.
• Vigilance committees at the district and sub-divisional levels have been prescribed to identify and rehabilitate bonded labourers.
• A centrally-sponsored plan — Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labour — is under implementation since 1978 under which the Centre and states contribute Rs 10,000 each for cases of rehabilitation.
• Regulatory attention must focus on trafficking rings and sectors.
• Inter-state coordination mechanisms for migrant workers, including workplace improvements and linking them to social security schemes. Example: PM Jandhan Yojana for financial inclusion.
• A broad nation-based survey is needed to find out the extent of Bonded labour. To create a database of bonded labourers, the help of NGO’s, Gram Panchayats can be taken at the grassroots level.
• Creating micro-financial access for vulnerable communities/vulnerable districts could help. Example: micro-loans as given in SHGs, Grameen Bank model of Bangladesh can be emulated.
• Vulnerable families  also  need  non-financial  support:  services  like  adult  literacy training, subsidized health care and child care; support for sending their children to schools;  and  awareness-raising  on  social  issues  and 

Conclusion:

Bonded labour is a scourge on India, which exists even after 70 years of Independence. There is an urgent need to take measures which are bold and holistic response to a socioeconomic problem of labour exploitation and this can help India realise SDG 8.7.