Reports on conditions of Labour, particularly Child Labour, in the brick production industries of South Asia - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan...
Odissa
25 bonded labourers from Odisha rescued from a brick kiln in Bangalore - 2015
A total of 25 bonded labourers, seven men, eight women, and 10 minors, the youngest just five, were rescued from Yelahanka today. The labourers were rescued by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) from a brick kiln in Yelahanka, Bangalore. The owner of the brick kiln was arrested under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Section 370 (Human trafficking), and the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act of 1976.The FIR was filed at the Sampigehalli Police Station. Approximately four months ago the owner of the brick kiln visited villages in Odisha to “recruit” labourers and brought them to Bangalore by train. Although he promised each adult Rs 25,000 as an advance upon reaching Bangalore, no one received this sum. Each adult labourer only received Rs 150 as their weekly salary and the children were paid nothing. The minimum wage for a brick kiln worker in the state of Karnataka is Rs 252 per day but these labourers received only Rs 21 a day.
Saturday, February 21, 2015 Report by Odisha Diary