What is Bonded Labour
Bonded labour is a form of modern slavery. It has been illegal in India since 1976 when the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act (BLSA) was passed.
The BLSA defines ‘bonded labor’ as a forced labour system in which a borrower agrees to work for the lender without wages for a fixed or indefinite period in exchange for a loan. This process may also continue intergenerationally.
Forced labor refers to situations in which individuals are compelled to work through violence or threats, or more subtle methods such as accumulated debt, withholding of identity documents, or threats of denunciation.
According to Arjun Sengupta’s report, there are a total of 423 million workers in India, of which 395 million are in the unorganized sector and 28 million in the organized sector. Currently, there are an estimated 500 million unorganized sector workers who are far from minimum wage and social protection, akin to forced labor conditions. According to the Slavery Global Index report, there are 24 million forced labourers in India, of which 18 million are bonded labourers. However, according to the Ministry of Labour and Employment of the Government of India, there are 300,000 bonded labourers in India. There are 65 million forced and bonded labourers in India, including 5 million children who are victims of modern-day slavery.
20,664
Number of Forced/Bonded Labourers Rescued
15
Number of States we work in
945
Cases pending across various quasi-judicial and administrative forums.
Methodology
 | | | |
| Identification | Case Registration | Rescue | Rehabilitation |
Identification
We identify bonded labourers through our outreach programmes and community meetings. The bonded labourers often manage to contact us themselves or through civilians willing to help them. Depending on their answers, we determine whether or not they can be categorised as are bonded labourers under the as per the definition provided in Bonded Labour (System) Abolition Act, 1976, along with other relevant legislations and relevant Supreme Apex Court judgements.
Case Registration
Once our office determines that the labourer is working in bonded or forced conditions, we approach the Deputy Commissioner/District Magistrate and the Sub-Divisional Magistrates, who have the appropriate authority and jurisdiction to undertake rescue operations.
Rescue
Through constant interventions, we join the Rescue Team constituted by the relevant authorities in our capacity as members of the Civil Society Organisation, as provided under the under the which has been stipulated by the legislation and the relevant Supreme Apex Court judgements. We are present while the rescue takes place and then make constant representations to ensure that the statements of the victims are recorded and a Release Order and& Certificate are issued.
Rehabilitation
We then make applications for financial assistance as interim compensation under the as per the Central Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourers, 2021. We assist the victims in ensuring repatriation and proceed to make representations for Rehabilitation. We provide legal aid to the victims throughout the process.