Telangana Women Safety Wing and International Justice Mission representatives during the event ‘National Consultation on Emerging Ttrends in Human Trafficking’ at Hyderabad International Convention Centre in Madhapur.
Kanmani (name changed) was 14 years old when she witnessed the death of her firstborn at a labour camp in Telangana. Hailing from Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh, she got married off at 13 and started working in a rice mill along with her husband and in-laws. “Within a year, I had my first child. I would work round the clock, taking small breaks to feed my baby. One day, I did not see my child where I left her. After hours of searching, we found her floating in a water tank,” said Kanmani between sobs.
The ‘employer’ asked her to keep the baby on a table and continue working. The infant lay there for hours before she was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. Kanmani had to plead with her employer to let her off work for 30 minutes to perform her daughter’s last rites. “An accountant was sent with us to ensure that we resumed work within 30 minutes,” she sighed.
A few years later, she was blessed with two daughters, who joined their parents as labourers just as soon as they could walk “I was not allowed to educate my elder daughter. He [the employer] did not let us leave either, threatening us with the debt,” she said. Kanmani and her family were eventually rescued and rehabilitated by the Telangana Women Safety Wing (WSW) and International Justice Mission (IJM).
Today, she is a mother of three — one with a career in hotel management, one pursuing engineering in Bengaluru and another studying Class IX, and the owner of a textile block-print industry in her village.She also established a Rescued Bonded Labour Association to help and guide people like herself.
Crucible of a life
Ms. Kanmani was among the six survivors who recounted the horror of bonded labour and the challenging journey of rehabilitation during the two-day ‘National Consultation on Emerging Trends in Human Trafficking’ organised by the WSW and IJM at Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) in Madhapur.
The event thew light on the patterns in sex and labour trafficking, swiftly moving from the street corner to the digital world, and strategies to combat the menace. The survivors, sitting on the stage as a panel, faced a gathering of close to 300 people.
Mallesh (name changed) from Nagarkurnool, a survivor who was elected the deputy sarpanch of his village by a 180-member community of fisherfolk, who were once forced to work in labour camps, had a similar story to narrate. “We used to fish from 6.30 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. and were forced to give the catch to the owner,” he said. “After having been rescued, we started our own fishing company and sell our catch at market price; we are no longer slaves.”
Mariam (name changed), a survivor who now practices law in Mumbai, fights for those trapped in human trafficking. “At the age of 12, I was taken to Maharashtra and kept in a dark room. I was abused, beaten, called names and denied basic medical care. It gives me immense pride to use a stamp with my name on legal documents and see lives being saved from the shackles of helplessness,” she said.
The survivors collectively said that the focus on rehabilitation after rescue must be improved. “Survivors should be given education and employment opportunities, and awareness and reach of the schemes related to bonded labour must be amplified,” said Rachita (name changed), another bonded labour survivor. They also called for faster conviction of the accused in such cases.
