Debt bondage in India

India has one of the highest rates of slavery in the world, see Global Slavery Index. (Estimates from the Walk Free Foundation.)

Debt bondage in India (Hindi: बंधुआ मज़दूरी bandhua mazdoori) was legally abolished in 1976 but remains prevalent due to weak enforcement by the government.[1] Bonded labour is a system in which lenders force their borrowers to repay loans through labor.[1] Additionally, these debts often take a large amount of time to pay off and are unreasonably high, propagating a cycle of generational inequality.[2] This is due to the typically high interest rates on the loans given out by employers.[3] Although debt bondage is considered to be a voluntary form of labor, people are forced into this system by social situations.[2]

Debt bondage has deep roots in Indian history, dating back to the period when India was under colonial rule.[4] On a more recent note, according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index, India has the 4th most slaves with 19 million Indians enslaved in some form, including debt bondage.[2] Many Indians enter debt bondage to reduce alternative risks of financial burden and violence.[3] Additionally, the Indian caste system has led to social inequality and corruption which collectively allow this system to persist.[2][5] Agricultural and brick kiln workers, including child laborers, are the main Indians involved in this practice.[6][7] Although the Indian government has committed to awarding compensations for freed workers,[8] most workers face negative consequences such as further inequality and health effects, which often results in these laborers committing suicide.[9][10]

The rise of Dalit activism, government legislation starting as early as 1949, as well as ongoing work by NGOs and government offices to enforce labour laws and rehabilitate those in debt, appears to have contributed to the reduction of bonded labour in India.[11] Additionally, both domestic and international organizations have been involved in the legal and rehabilitation process of ending this practice.[3][9] However, according to research papers presented by the International Labour Organization, there are still many obstacles to the eradication of bonded labour in India.[12][13]

  1. ^ a b "A $110 loan, then 20 years of debt bondage". CNN. June 2, 2011. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d Acharya, Arun Kumar; Naranjo, Diego López (2019), "Practices of Bonded Labour in India: Forms of Exploitation and Human Rights Violations", The SAGE Handbook of Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery, SAGE Publications Ltd, pp. 126–138, doi:10.4135/9781526436146.n6, ISBN 9781473978553, S2CID 169418671
  3. ^ a b c Bhukuth, Augendra; Ballet, Jérôme; Sirven, Nicolas (2018). "Bonded Labour or What Else? A Case Study in Tamil Nadu, India: Bonded Labour". Journal of International Development. 30 (5): 745–759. doi:10.1002/jid.3261.
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  11. ^ Hart, Christine Untouchability Today: The Rise of Dalit Activism, Human Rights and Human Welfare, Topical Research Digest 2011, Minority Rights
  12. ^ "International Dalit Solidarity Network: Key Issues: Bonded Labour". 14 November 2014.
  13. ^ Ravi S. Srivastava Bonded Labor in India: Its Incidence and Pattern InFocus Programme on Promoting the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work; and International Labour Office,(2005). Forced Labor. Paper 18