MIRPURKHAS: The organisation calling itself the ‘Scheduled Caste Rights Commission of Sindh’ has said that around 600,00 men, women and children belonging to this segment of society in Sindh are currently suffering forced labour by landowners.

Speaking at at a gathering of scheduled caste communities in Bheel Colony here on Sunday, chairman of the organisation Advocate Kanji Rano Bheel said that most of Dalits forced into bonded labour hailed from Sanghar, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Thatta and Hyderabad districts.

He deplored that forced labour was in vogue brick kilns and agricultural lands across the province. The poor Dalit families found no other option opened to them when offered a

peltry amount as loan to agree on year-long forced labour at farms and kilns, he observed.

He regretted that children of these families could not get education obviously due to abject poverty as they could not go for any other thing with the loan money for two square meals.

He said the government should enlist peasant families in revenue deficit record to help out bonded labour. Kisan courts should be set up to check bonded labour and settle all disputes relating to the Tenancy Act.

He demanded the government to make arrangements on an emergency basis to ensure that Dalit families’ children get education and jobs. He also called for funds to be allocated for the welfare of poor Dalit families and their jobless members.

Advocate Rano Bheel also regretted that not a single landowner/employee found keeping peasants in forced labour had ever been prosecuted and punished.

He said that a total of 1,837 farmers had been got freed by various courts in bonded labour cases.

Among them, 522 were children, 270 women and 1,045 adult men. He noted that 176 peasants released through courts belonged to the Kohli, Bheel and Oad communities and most of them hailed Sanghar district.

Published in Dawn, january 2th, 2023