Forced Labour and modern-day slavery

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Portable insurance schemes are important, but they are not enough. Workers also  need job creation, decent working conditions, equal pay, gender equality, the  elimination of forced labour and child labour, an end to modern-day slavery, and  the protection of their rights and the welfare of their families. 

Unfortunately, India missed a great opportunity to protect worker rights and  advance the welfare of workers during the G-20 summit, despite the G-20’s  Labour 20 (L20), a coalition of G20 leaders concerned about workers, holding  two meetings in India. 

Indian Work force 

• India is the world’s largest migrant-sending country, with an estimated 13  million workers abroad.  

o Of these, an estimated nine million are working in exploitative  conditions in the Arab Gulf. 

• According to the Walk Free Foundation, there are an estimated 27 million  people trapped in modern-day slavery in G-20 countries, of whom 11  million are in India. 
• But the exploitation of Indian workers is not limited to the Arab Gulf. In  India itself, workers in a number of industries, including textiles, brick  kilns, shrimp farming, copper manufacturing, stone cutting, and  plantations, face forced labour and modern-day slavery. 

The serious issues faced by workers/labours in India are: 

• Forced labour 
• Modern-day slavery 
• The kafala system in the Arab gulf  

Arab Gulf countries- labour system

The kafala system in the Arab gulf:  

• Where some nine million Indians are working under exploitative working  conditions.  
• Which ties migrant workers to their employers.  
• This system makes it difficult for migrant workers to leave their jobs or  change employers 
• It increases the risk of forced labour and modern-day slavery. Labour Inside India 

Constitutional and legal Provisions 

The Indian Constitution includes several articles related to labour, including:  

• Article 21, which guarantees the right to livelihood 
• Article 23, which prohibits forced labour and trafficking in human beings • Article 24, which prohibits child labour for children under 14 • Article 39 (d), which ensures equal pay for equal work for both men and  women 

The Indian government has also enacted several laws to protect the working class,  including:  

• Industrial Disputes Act 
• ESI Act 
• Factories Act 
• Minimum Wages Act 

Problems 

• Recent investigative experience of forced labour in the shrimp industry  in Andhra Pradesh suggests that workers who are paid less or unpaid for  overtime, under the threat of being fired if they ask for it, are victims of  forced labour. 
• Workers who are forced to work until they have paid off a loan, they took  from the company are also victims of forced labour. 
• There are 530 million workers, of whom 430 million are in the informal  sector, who are prone to different forms of exploitation, especially forced  labour. 
• India missed the ideal opportunity during the Delhi summit to protect the  rights of workers and ensure their welfare.

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