DELHI, INDIA – Late last month, IJM’s casework partner Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD) supported government officials in two states to free a small family from three years of violent bondage.
Trapped in bondage for three years
This family—including a mother, father and 15-year-old daughter—had been trafficked from the state of Telangana and were being exploited by a labour contractor at various sites around the state of Karnataka. Three years ago, this man had lured them with promises of a good-paying job and a generous payment advance of 140,000 rupees (A$2487). The advance was then charged to the family as a debt, which they then had to repay through their labour. But the labour contractor kept adding new charges, keeping them trapped in a cycle of bondage for three years.
He moved them to project after project, and for the last nine months had exploited them in constructing a road. The family worked seven days a week for more than 10 hours a day and could never leave the worksite. They slept in a makeshift house made of tin sheets, which became incredibly hot in the summer sun.
Family punished after daughter evades sexual assault
It got worse. A supervisor at the worksite once tried to pressure the 15-year-old girl into sexual favours, but she managed to evade him. When her parents complained to the labour contractor, he refused to help and beat them up instead. He also started to punish the family by refusing to give them any food and by lobbying more violence against them. They later confided that they had considered suicide due to the harsh conditions at the worksite.
Rescued by IJM local partner
FSD reported the case to the Telangana’s State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR), who in turn alerted their counterparts in Karnataka. These authorities then initiated a rescue plan with representatives from the Women and Child Development Department, Labour Department, Social Welfare Department, Child Welfare Committee, District Administration, police, and several other local government and child-protection agencies.
Suspect released on bail
On September 22, these authorities arrived at the worksite to confirm the family’s reports of abuse and bring them to safety. Police have arrested one suspect, but he is currently out on bail. An official police report has been filed under India’s laws against bonded labour, child labour, human trafficking, and child endangerment.
FSD staff commended the local government for their swift and proactive response and for their adherence to India’s best practices on bonded labour.
After the rescue, authorities helped the family move to a safe shelter where they could recover and prepare to move home. Once it becomes safe to travel, FSD staff will help the family return home and will support their recovery long-term.
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