Bengaluru: 18 bonded labourers rescued from brick kiln

Bengaluru: Officials of the Bengaluru district administration, with the help of Anekal police, have rescued a group of 18 bonded labourers, including three children aged five to eight years, who were working at a brick kiln in Anekal over the past seven years. The officials have also arrested the supervisor of the kiln, while the owner is reportedly absconding. A case has been registered at the Attibele police station under IPC 370 (Trafficking of Persons), the Bonded Labour (Abolition) Act, 1976.

According to the officials, of the five families rescued, three were trafficked to the kiln by agents from Odisha, while the other two came on their own. One of the trafficked families had been working there for seven years, while other two came five years ago and the remaining two families, who came on their own, have been there for three years.

Members of International Justice Mission (IJM), who brought the incident to light, said that none of the families were allowed to go outside the brick kiln together. Most often only the male members were allowed to go to the market on Sunday evenings, after their weekly payment, to buy groceries. While going to market the families had to leave their children behind. Most often the supervisor used to accompany them and also kept a close watch on them.

Ankit a bonded labourer, who has three children, told the officials that he was lured by the brick kiln owner promising good wages, but never received what was promised, over the last seven years.

Ankit said that last year he and his wife desperately wanted to go back to Odisha, as his father-in-law had passed away. The owner only relented after forcing the couple to leave their three little children behind as surety. So they left their children with other labourers, attended the funeral in Odisha and returned to work in five days. They had borrowed '5,000 from the owner for the trip and the funeral expenses, so they continue to be in his debt, Ankit said.

Further enquiries revealed that the owner had promised all the labourers a payment of Rs 300 for 1,000 bricks made, which a husband and wife team usually makes in one day. However they were paid only Rs 400 per week, although the stipulated minimum wage for a single brick kiln worker is Rs 258.92 per day.

The labourers were exploited and worked seven days a week from 6 am till 7 pm on weekdays and till 3 pm on Sundays. On several occasions, the adults and the children were beaten up by the owner and the supervisor, if they felt the job was not done well or if the labourers said they want to leave. It was the job of the four children to turn the bricks as they baked in the sun. The children were paid between Rs 10 and Rs 20 a week each.

“I wanted to send my daughter to a school, but I did not have any money. So I brought my family and came to Bengaluru thinking I can work and save some money to send her to school. But we ended up being trapped here,” said Sunil, a 30 year old labourer. “I told the owner that I need to go back to Odisha as my daughter is grown up now and I need to put her in school, but he never let me go and instead my daughter, who is only seven, is working here,” another rescued labourer said.