Odisha’s migration-prone regions are not new to reports of labourers being held hostage as bonded labourers and subjected to sexual harassment, inhuman physical torture and denial of due wages. The practice may not go on for longer.
A group of young bonded labourers from various migrant-prone districts in Odisha have banded together under the banner ‘Shramavahini’ with a mission to ensure swift government response to distressed victims of bonded labour.
They have put smartphones to their best use by alerting government agencies through social media. Their past experience of going through physical torture is also coming handy in their new mission.
Of late, this network, which boasts over 4,000 members, is observed to be active in social media outreach when cases of distressed labourers requiring assistance from either government or non-government organissations surface.
“Too often, the voices of migrant labourers who suffer under the cruel yoke of bondage and torture in other States go unheard by the local administration. By the time help reaches, it is too late -- at times with someone losing his life or losing a limb,” said Satyaban Gahir, secretary of Shramavahini.
He said the Shramavahini brigade aims to combat this issue by reporting such cases to the district administration and concerned officials, thereby facilitating the rescue of distressed labourers as quickly as possible.
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The formation of Shramavahini was thought of when many labourers, who were rescued under Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, but did not receive assistance ₹20,000 they were entitled to.
Mr. Gahir, who belonged to Sinapali block of Odisha’s Nuapada district, had gone through a similarly harrowing experience in 2016 when he was rescued as a bonded labourer. “The forum which was initially created to fight for the smooth release of ₹20,000-assistance started working for distressed labourer. Now we have donned a new role to help our fellow workers,” he said.
Some of the young migrant labourers have learnt using social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Whasapp. Sometimes, they approach mainstream media organisations to disseminate distress condition of their fellow migrant labourers. They act as bridge between source State and destination State.
Last week, a tweet by a social worker in Telangana led to the rescue of 10 Odia labourers in less than 24 hours. Seven Odia migrant labourers were rescued in Chittoor based on information that was reported on Twitter by an NGO based out of Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad
Santoshini Chinda, President of Shramavahini, said migrant labourers were first responders for their fellow labourers who would be in distress and as compared to other states, Odisha officers receive instant information and rush to the rescue of labourers.
As of now, 1.000 migrant labourers were formally registered with Sharmavahini while 3,000 more such labourers would get registered, said Mr. Gahir.
