Activists urge stronger enforcement of Bonded Labour Act

Even as the State marks the 50th year of the enactment of The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, on Monday, with rallies, awareness campaigns, there are 209 people rescued from bonded labour in the past three years, waiting to receive the initial relief of ₹30,000.

According to data complied by the Vetti Vimochana Coalition (VVC), a group of NGOs working on bonded labour issue in Andhra Pradesh, around 440 people were rescued from January 2023 till date.

Of these, 209 people are yet to receive the immediate financial assistance of ₹30,000 guaranteed under the Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourer-2021, which came into effect from January 2022. Under the scheme, the assistance can go up to ₹3 lakh based on the level of exploitation and proof of bondage.

The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, prohibits any form of forced or partly forced labour rendered by a person to pay off debts taken from a creditor. But in the absence of a guaranteed financial aid, activists fear that the rescued people may end up in another cycle of bonded labour.

“Some feel hesitant to be removed from such a system, because they fear they may not have a livelihood source. There have been cases where a few people went back into the same hole they were pulled out from,” says Raavi Suneel Kumar, convenor of the coalition, emphasising on the importance of the financial assistance.

In addition to worrying about their source of income, rescued labourers also have to deal with hostility from fellow community people. “When someone is released from forced labour after years, they experience a lot of stigma. It takes a lot of effort and time for them to mingle with their neighbours,” he adds.

Under the Central scheme, there is a provision for a house, education of children, issuance of job cards under MGNREGA and creation of other employment opportunities. “But, the process is stalled in the initial step itself,” he says, adding that the State has fallen behind in the proper implementation of the Act.

The 1976 Act mandates that a Vigilance Committee be constituted at the district level. But, of the 28 districts, only 12 have such committees. Even in districts where such committees are present, meetings are not regular. Moreover, every district needs to have a corpus fund of ₹10 lakh for immediate rehabilitation of rescued labourers. But, so far, only Prakasam and Chittoor districts have written to the State government seeking the funds, as per information.

There is no State Action Plan or Standard Operating Procedure to deal with bonded labour cases in the State, which lays down steps for rescue and rehabilitation, which the neighbouring States of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have. “Justice does not end with rescuing a person from the system. The real justice is done when they are rehabilitated,” the activist says.

The delay in proper implementation of the Act was caused by the confusion over the nodal agency. “In united A.P., the Social Welfare department was the nodal department for implementing the Act. Since bifurcation, confusion remains over which department looks at the issue,” explains another activist on the condition of anonymity.

The State government cleared the confusion only last year, when through the G.O.Ms.No.14, dated June 26, it notified the Labour department as the nodal department.

According to reliable information, soon, Vigilance Committees would be formed in every district in the State, and proposals would also be sent to the Finance department for allocation of funds for the districts. Until then, justice will not reach the rescued labourers.