India

In India, Free the Slaves is confronting the deep-rooted issue of modern slavery through a multifaceted approach. Our active projects, including the Fostering Fee Accountability and Cost Tracking (FFACT) initiative, focus on alleviating immediate vulnerabilities like debt bondage and forced labor, while pushing for systemic changes in labor practices and recruitment fees. We are strengthening the capacity of civil society and workers’ organizations, promoting transparency, and advocating for ethical labor practices in India-Qatar migration corridors. As we move forward, we plan to expand our efforts to address bonded labor and human trafficking further, while empowering local organizations and communities for sustainable resilience to slavery.

Problem:

The lack of transparency related to recruitment fees for foreign employment, and lack of enforcement of existing laws and regulations has led to a myriad of issues in labor migration corridors, specifically between India-Qatar and Bangladesh-Malaysia. Lured by the promise of employment, vulnerable workers often find themselves ensnared in debt bondage due to exorbitant recruitment fees. Coupled with deceitful practices by recruitment agencies and the lack of oversight by companies and governments, many workers face a host of challenges, including forced labor, exploitation, and a lack of essential rights.

Free The Slaves Intervention:

1. Capacity Building:

• • FTS focuses on empowering civil society and worker organizations with critical knowledge regarding recruitment fees, their documentation, and associated practices.
  • Aims to enable these entities to decode, analyze, and leverage recruitment fee data, allowing them to liaise more effectively with both the private sector and government bodies.

2. Direct Engagement in Vulnerable Regions:

• • FTS proactively addressed high-risk labor migration corridors, specifically between India-Qatar and Bangladesh-Malaysia.
  • Ground-level training and practical interventions were organized, creating direct field-level learning experiences and enabling these organizations to confront real-world challenges.

3. Promotion of Constructive Dialogue:

• • FTS actively encouraged and facilitated dialogue between civil society, worker organizations, and significant stakeholders in the corporate and public sectors.
  • The goal was to forge a cohesive and united front against the unethical practice of charging recruitment fees and the vulnerabilities stemming from them.

4. Public Accessibility and Awareness:

• • Recognizing the power of information sharing, FTS is developing a website platform to offer public access to vital resources.
  • This dedicated website is anticipated to serve as a central hub for tools, best practices, and ethical approaches to counter debt bondage, fostering a more informed and vigilant society.

Problem:

India stands as the most significant origin country for international migrants, with an estimated 25 million nationals living abroad. Approximately 40% of these migrants reside and work in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, primarily in blue-collar jobs. While these workers have contributed immensely to the Gulf’s economic development, they often suffer from a lack of social security, labor rights, and safety nets. Their vulnerabilities are exacerbated by the Kafala system – a foreign labor sponsorship method prevalent in the Gulf, often likened to “modern-day slavery.” This system, combined with poor living conditions and other exploitative practices like illegal recruitment, has led to numerous challenges, including heat-stress related deaths and recruitment agents holding workers hostage for ransoms.

Free The Slaves and Verité’s Intervention:

Free the Slaves and Verité launched the Safe Migration project, supported by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour. The project’s overarching objective was to foster safe labor migration from India to the GCC states. It envisioned a holistic protection mechanism for migrant workers throughout their migration journey – from recruitment and deployment to employment and eventual safe return. The intervention’s primary focus was Uttar Pradesh, a densely populated Indian state grappling with poverty, casteism, illiteracy, trafficking, debt bondage, and forced labor. Here, migration is perceived as an escape route, especially for the youth, but it’s marred by fraudulent practices and unscrupulous agents.

The project’s core strategies included:

• Strengthening the capacity of existing community vigilance committees (CVCs).
• Establishing Migration Vigilance Committees (MVCs).
• Creating a database of international blue-collar migrants at the village level.
• Assisting migrants in crafting a “Safe Migration Action Plan.”
• Raising awareness about forced labor in overseas labor recruitment.
• Engaging with the local partner, MSEMVS, to reinforce community engagement, coordination, and migrant rights protection.

Impact:

The project was conducted over 18 months, from January 2021 to June 2022, in two pivotal source regions of Uttar Pradesh: Mirzapur & Bhadohi. By synergizing with the local partner MSEMVS, Free the Slaves amplified community vigilance at the village and district levels, promoting sustained engagement in safe migration and recruitment. The establishment of MVCs, enhanced CVCs, and support structures for returning migrants marked notable achievements. By educating and raising awareness, the project instilled safer migration practices to minimize the vulnerabilities Indian migrants face in the Gulf.

Problem:

In regions spanning seven districts of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh in India, bonded labor remains a significant challenge. The issue stems from the non-implementation or weak enforcement of the Bonded Labor System Abolition Act (BLSA). Consequently, victims remain trapped, perpetrators go unpunished, and rehabilitative services remain inaccessible for survivors.

Free The Slaves’ Intervention:

To address this, Free The Slaves (FTS) and its local partners initiated a comprehensive project targeting three primary objectives:

1. Strengthening District-Level Capacities: FTS assessed and addressed the training needs of district officials from various departments. Officials gained a deeper understanding of survivors’ challenges by offering classroom training and face-to-face interactions with bonded labor survivors. Additionally, two districts developed and adopted a case tracking system for bonded labor cases, aiding in better data organization and gap identification.
2. Community Mobilization: Through sub-grantees, FTS bolstered Community Vigilance Committees (CVCs). These committees played a pivotal role in identifying victims, facilitating their rescue, and ensuring their reintegration into society. By establishing a robust link between communities and government bodies, many cases were identified, reported, and are now in various stages of legal proceedings.
3. Data Collection and Analysis: Bonded labor case data was collected from the internal records of local partners. Data from these records were organized, scrutinized, and subsequently presented to district officials to shed light on the extent of the bonded labor issue and the effectiveness of rehabilitative measures.

Impact:

The project’s influence has been multifaceted. A marked increase in the understanding and efficiency of trained officials was evident. Districts began adopting the new case tracking system, signaling a shift towards a data-driven approach in tackling bonded labor. Additionally, the proactive stance of the State Labor Commissioner of UP, who called for a more active and functional reconstitution of the District Bonded Labour Vigilance Committee (DBLVC), showcases the project’s tangible effect on higher governance levels.

On the ground, community vigilance saw a noticeable boost, with CVCs identifying and playing a proactive role in rescuing and rehabilitating bonded labor victims. Through these combined efforts, the foundation for systemic changes in combating bonded labor in these districts has been laid, making strides toward the ultimate goal of the effective implementation of BLSA.