https://sputniknews.in/20231203/confronting-modern-slavery-voices-from-indias-battle-against-child-labor-and-forced-marriage-5690582.html
Confronting Modern Slavery: Voices from India's Battle Against Child Labor and Forced Marriage
Confronting Modern Slavery: Voices from India's Battle Against Child Labor and Forced Marriage
Sputnik India
On the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, Sputnik India examines various issues in India that result in child labour, forced marriage, and human trafficking.
2023-12-03T20:51+0530
2023-12-03T20:51+0530
2023-12-04T11:37+0530
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In a world where advanced technology, powerful weaponry, and intricate machines are hailed as symbols of progress, humankind tends to believe that it has conquered the darkest corners of human suffering.The UN General Assembly has named December 2 as the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery in observance with the Convention on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others.The most recent Global Estimates of Modern Slavery put the number of persons living in modern slavery at 50 million in 2021. Of these, 22 million were compelled into forced marriages and 28 million were forced to labor, demonstrating how harshly different realities remain.Against this background, Sputnik India spoke with Nirmal Bhanu, a former child laborer from the Kailash Satyarthi Children Foundation, as well as Advocate Bhuwan Ribhu, a Supreme Court lawyer and senior children's rights activist, to gain a better understanding of India's current stance on forced marriage, child labor, and human trafficking,‘I Became a Child Laborer at the Age of Eight’“In the Madhepura district of Bihar, specifically in my village of Murho, I became a child laborer at the age of eight years old for Ramesh Yadav's household. For my sister's wedding, my father borrowed one lakh rupees, or $1,200, from Ramesh Yadav, but he was unable to repay the debt even though his parents were employed there. In exchange for our repayment, Ramesh Yadav demanded that I work at his home," said Bhanu.“There were twenty to thirty families in the village that had children from different states who were brought in to work in their homes. Since these kids aren't even permitted to leave their homes, nobody would be aware of the circumstances,” he noted."I am among the fortunate individuals who, following three years of suffering, was rescued by Ghuran Mahato from the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), where I was raised and educated,” Bhanu stated.Child Labor in India“Government sources estimate that four million children are involved in child labor; non-government sources assert that over 20 million children in India are not attending school and may be exploited in child labor or other activities, such as trafficking and forced marriage,” Ribhu told Sputnik India.The activist claimed that "children are used as laborers in the unorganized sectors — such as agriculture, domestic work, the clothing industry, and the value-adding manufacturing of apparel and retail establishments, along with mica mining and jewelry.”Main Areas of Child Labor ExploitationWhen children are brought to work from another state, the advocate pointed out that "it is through the organized crime of trafficking and demand for low-cost labor” that children are put to work.Organized Crimes: Trafficking of GirlsIn certain communities, he indicated that “forced marriage or marriage trafficking is more common. Girls are being trafficked from Jharkhand to Kashmir and West Bengal to Andhra Pradesh.”Likewise, the activist stated that “in commercial exploitation or brothels, girls cater to ten to fifteen customers - these, whom I am referring to are rapists, not customers; even if ten rapists visited them daily and gave them 500 INR i.e. $6, a child would still make 5000 INR i.e. $60 per day. For instance, if these organized crime syndicates have access to 100 girls they make five lakh INR i.e. $6000 per day. Therefore, money gain is the primary motivation behind trafficking.”Government Initiatives in India“The latest government data indicates nearly one in four young women were married before turning eighteen in India. Recently, there has been a significant push to end child marriages in the country, with 52 government departments across 20 states mobilized over 50 million people to take a pledge for child marriage-free India,” said the advocate.Even though India has a rigorous legal framework, “knowledge of law enforcement continues to lag behind that of the legal framework. Therefore, even though our legal system is among the strongest, there is still room for improvement in terms of the application of the law.
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advanced technology, powerful weaponry, intricate machines, progress, mankind, human suffering, un general assembly, december 2, international day for the abolition of slavery, convention on the suppression of human trafficking, exploitation of the prostitution of others, global estimates of modern slavery, modern slavery, fifty million, 22 million, forced marriages, forced to labour, child labourer, bihar, farm, tending to the crops, treacherous memories, ghuran mahato, bachpan bachao andolan (bba), educated, child labour, forced marriage, agriculture, domestic work, the clothing industry, and the value-adding manufacturing of apparel, retail establishment, mica mining and jewellery, unorganised sector, covid-19 pandemic, poverty, significant role, child labour, poverty, social injustices, bihar, jaipur, delhi, tribal areas, jharkhand, west bengal, chhattisgarh, and odisha, placement agencies, national regulation or law, placement agencies, organised crimes: trafficking of girls, forced marriage or marriage trafficking , bengali or jharkhand, andhra pradesh, organised crime, sexual exploitation, fifteen rapists, 52 government departments across 20 states mobilized, legal framework, application of the law
In a world where advanced technology, powerful weaponry, and intricate machines are hailed as symbols of progress, humankind tends to believe that it has conquered the darkest corners of human suffering.
The UN General Assembly has named December 2 as the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery in observance with the Convention on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others.
The most recent
Global Estimates of Modern Slavery put the number of persons living in modern slavery at 50 million in 2021. Of these, 22 million were compelled into forced marriages and 28 million were forced to labor, demonstrating how harshly different realities remain.
Against this background, Sputnik India spoke with Nirmal Bhanu, a former child laborer from the Kailash Satyarthi Children Foundation, as well as Advocate Bhuwan Ribhu, a Supreme Court lawyer and senior children's rights activist, to gain a better understanding of India's current stance on forced marriage, child labor, and human trafficking,
‘I Became a Child Laborer at the Age of Eight’
“In the Madhepura
district of Bihar, specifically in my village of Murho, I became a child laborer at the age of eight years old for Ramesh Yadav's household. For my sister's wedding, my father borrowed one lakh rupees, or $1,200, from Ramesh Yadav, but he was unable to repay the debt even though his parents were employed there. In exchange for our repayment, Ramesh Yadav demanded that I work at his home," said Bhanu.
When addressing the working conditions, Bhanu mentioned that he used to work from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. without a single break. "Every day, I worked on their farm, tending to the crops, caring for the animals, and cleaning the house," he said.
“There were twenty to thirty families in the village that had children from different states who were brought in to work in their homes. Since these kids aren't even permitted to leave their homes, nobody would be aware of the circumstances,” he noted.
One of Bhanu's strongest memories from that house came back to him: “I was asked to get milk by a member of Yadav's family, but I declined because it was too heavy and too far away—about 15 km i.e. 9 miles. I ended up going to get milk after he struck me with a hunter's whip. I returned with a 30-litre big handi, i.e. clay pot, full of milk, but after that, I gave up because I was exhausted. Yadav came and locked me in a room and beat me for a few hours."
"I am among the fortunate individuals who, following three years of suffering, was rescued by Ghuran Mahato from the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), where I was raised and educated,” Bhanu stated.
“Government sources estimate that four million
children are involved in child labor; non-government sources assert that over 20 million children in India are not attending school and may be exploited in child labor or other activities, such as trafficking and forced marriage,” Ribhu told Sputnik India.
The activist claimed that "children are used as laborers in the unorganized sectors — such as agriculture, domestic work, the clothing industry, and the value-adding manufacturing of apparel and retail establishments, along with mica mining and jewelry.”
“But over the past four to five years, there has been a noticeable decline in the organized sector as well as in school dropouts; in contrast, the unorganized sector has grown, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic," said Ribhu.
Main Areas of Child Labor Exploitation
When children are brought to work from another state, the advocate pointed out that "it is through the organized crime of trafficking and demand for low-cost labor” that children are put to work.
“There is a large number of boys [who have] been trafficked from Bihar in value addition of garments and agriculture, in areas such as Jaipur, Delhi and areas around Delhi. Girls, especially from some tribal areas, mainly from Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha are trafficked into domestic slavery through placement agencies. This is happening mainly because India has no national regulation or law regulating placement agencies," the activist remarked.
Organized Crimes: Trafficking of Girls
“Additionally, the trafficking of girls from the northeast is on the rise in massage parlors and spas. For the same reason—again, because spas and massage parlors are unregulated, they have emerged as the new front for sexual exploitation along with online trafficking and slavery which is right amongst us and is yet invisible," said the activist.
In certain communities, he indicated that “
forced marriage or marriage trafficking is more common. Girls are being trafficked from Jharkhand to Kashmir and West Bengal to Andhra Pradesh.”
“Advances ranging from 10,000 to 50,000 INR (i.e. $120 to $600), are offered to families who become victims of organized crime involving the sexual exploitation of children. It is rarely made clear that the money is being used to buy the daughter in some cases while some parents sell them at that cost," he explained.
Likewise, the activist stated that “in commercial exploitation or brothels, girls cater to ten to fifteen customers - these, whom I am referring to are rapists, not customers; even if ten rapists visited them daily and gave them 500 INR i.e. $6, a child would still make 5000 INR i.e. $60 per day. For instance, if these organized crime syndicates have access to 100 girls they make five lakh INR i.e. $6000 per day. Therefore, money gain is the primary motivation behind trafficking.”
Government Initiatives in India
“The latest government data indicates nearly one in four young women were married before turning eighteen in India. Recently, there has been a significant push to end
child marriages in the country, with 52 government departments across 20 states mobilized over 50 million people to take a pledge for child marriage-free India,” said the advocate.
Even though India has a rigorous legal framework, “knowledge of
law enforcement continues to lag behind that of the legal framework. Therefore, even though our legal system is among the strongest, there is still room for improvement in terms of the application of the law.
“If humanity is practiced by all humans then such practices can easily be eradicated,” said Bhanu.
