Bonded Labor in India

Abstract

Slavery is not a relic of the past, there are approximately 40 million people worldwide that live in some form of modern slavery. Unlike the widely visible slavery that existed in the new world a few hundred years ago, modern slavery is less visible. It exists in the form of bonded labor, forced marriages, and human trafficking. In this paper, we focus on bonded labor. Approximately 1.1% of South Asia’s population is still in bonded labor. South Asia is a hot spot for this form of slavery due to a unique confluence of poverty, social practices, and lax laws or enforcement. The paper focuses on a study that included interviews with seventeen current or freed bonded laborers in the Chikkaballapur area (near Bengaluru city in South India). The goal of the study was to understand - Why do people go into bonded labor? Why do they stay in bonded labor? How can they be freed and rehabilitated? What are their experiences post-freedom? The study examines the responses from bonded laborers in the context of the current literature on bonded labor in Asia. The study also examines the efforts of a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Jeevika, including its efforts, strategies, and the challenges faced in freeing bonded laborers in Karnataka (a state in southern India).