HYDERABAD: The Sindh government’s failure to implement the Sindh Bonded Labour System Abolition Act, 2015, in letter and spirit has led to an exponential increase in bonded labour in the wake of last year’s devastating floods making homeless and penniless peasants an easy prey for landlords and farm input dealers.

This was stated by Akram Ali Khaskheli, president of Hari Welfare Association, at a press conference at local press club here on Saturday.

He said that bonded labour had increased poverty and malnutrition among the poor. As many as 190 bonded labourers had been liberated on courts’ orders, including 56 children and 63 women, so far since the calamity struck the province.

He deplored that only 14 district vigilance committees (DVCs) were formed under the law in 29 districts last year and those too remained largely dysfunctional.

He called for implementation of the law and said the DVCs were direly needed, especially during and after floods, because of increased chances of bonded labour. Most government officials concerned were unaware of both the Prevention of Persons in Trafficking Act (PoPA), 2018, and law against bonded labour, he said.

Khaskheli said that Sindh and federal governments had turned a blind eye to peasants and workers who lost crops, wages, cattle and houses to devastating floods. Sindh had failed to protect peasants and workers during and after floods, which caused peasants and workers to become easy prey for exploitative landlords, seed and fertiliser sellers, he said.

He feared that in the absence of government support enforcement of the law most of the peasants and farm workers had started working landlords for under informal terms and conditions, which were mostly beneficial to their employers.

He said that poor families were forced to obtain loans from landlords to survive. Such arrangements resulted in debt bondage which was already on the rise without check and monitored by the non-existent DVCs.

He said that the governments instead of helping peasants by providing them livelihood opportunities had turned flood-hit peasants and workers into beggars. Thousands of children under five years of age might die by the end of 2023 from malnutrition, hunger, waterborne diseases and malaria if they did not get adequate government support, he feared.

He said that peasants constituted over 70per cent of labour force in agriculture farms and kilns but they were not given priority by the government. A rural worker received hardly Rs6,000 to Rs8,000 per month instead of Rs25,000 minimum wage, he said.

He said that Sindh Industrial Relations Act, 2013, allowed peasants to join unions but the government was doing nothing to ensure their unionisation in agriculture sector and kilns.

He said that like Sindh Women Agriculture Workers Act, there were also other laws that could help protect women against abuse, exploitation, and marginalisation in feudal and tribal societies.

Khaskheli demanded the Sindh government ensure that Rs25,000 wage was paid to all workers and punishment was awarded to violators of the minimum wage law. The government should strengthen monitoring mechanisms by increasing number of labour inspectors and labour courts so that workers could approach them for protection of their rights, he said.

He urged the federal and provincial governments to provide relief and support to peasants and workers rather than the rich landlords.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2023