What ILO Report on Bonded Labour Means for India

Context

According to a research paper, titled ‘Profits and Poverty: The Economics of Forced Labour’, released  by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), forced labor earns illegal earnings of $36 billion each year.

About Bonded Labour

• Definition: A person becomes a bonded labourer when their labor is demanded as a means of repayment for a loan. 
  • The person is then tricked or trapped into working for very little or no pay.
• Constitutional Provisions:  Bonded labour is prohibited in India by law vide Articles 21 and 23 of the Constitution.
• Laws Governing Bonded Labour: Bonded labour is a type of contemporary slavery that has been prohibited in India since 1976, when the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act was enacted.
• Data on Bonded Labour in India: According to Union government figures, 315,302 persons were released from bonded work between 1978 and January 2023, with 94% of them rehabilitated.

Key Findings of the Research

• Earning Estimates of Traffickers: Traffickers and criminals earn close to $10,000 per victim, up from $8,269 (adjusted for inflation) a decade earlier.
• Contribution of Forced Commercial Sexual Exploitation: The survey also said that forced commercial sexual exploitation contributes for more than two-thirds (73%) of overall illicit profits, despite accounting for only 27% of all victims in privately imposed work.
• Data on Forced Labour: There were 27.6 million individuals involved in forced labor on any given day in 2021, which equates to 3.5 people for every 1,000 people worldwide.
• Increased Investments in Enforcement Measures: The report also emphasizes the critical need for increased investment in enforcement measures to halt unlawful profit flows and hold criminals accountable.

Recommendation

• Strengthening of Legal Frameworks: It has advocated for stronger legal frameworks, training for enforcement officers, expanding labor inspection into high-risk areas, and improving coordination between labor and criminal law enforcement.
• Enforcement actions: Enforcement actions must be part of a comprehensive approach that prioritizes addressing root causes and safeguarding victims.
• Promoting Worker Freedom and Collective Bargaining: Ensuring the freedom of workers to associate and to bargain collectively is also essential to building resilience to the risks of forced labor.

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